Guns N' Fairies
by ragna ayanami
Summary: Tokyo is about to become a little more dangerous. The rise of Ikebukuro's Fortissimo was accomplished with the unwilling help of a girl who just wanted to live a relatively normal life blending in with Tokyo's night scene. It seems fate, and a certain information broker, have a different path for her.
1. Fresh Meat

_**Note:**_ So, welcome to my Durarara fic. The events here will happen before the manga and I'm not sure yet if it will breach the manga storyline. Time will tell.

Enjoy!

 **All characters (except for my OC's) belong to Ryohgo Narita and Suzuhito Yasuda.**

* * *

Pages rustled as fingers moved at a languid pace.

There was a woman sitting on a fruit crate, hunched over herself with a lit cigarette dangling between her lips. The location she was in was the back alley of a club, sitting among boxes and the garbage container. She didn't seem to mind the foul odor circulating the air. Her long hair hid the eyes that perused over the black and white images of the manga in her lap. On the outside, she looked deeply drawn in the violently graphic pictures, but in reality her brain was barely registering the story. Her gaze was merely sweeping over the pages with almost zero interest.

She didn't understand why since reading mangas was one of her favorite pastimes. She should have been excited with reading about Guts and his allies' new adventures, but she just didn't seem to gather the motivation to do it.

Not even the blood and guts and limbs flying around in the scene was riling up her blood.

Just when she was about to give up on the manga and resign herself to merely smoking her cigarette, the back door of the club opened and a frowning older man came out, his head turning left and right in search. This man was large with more fat than muscle. There were dozens of tattoos sketched over his bare arms, right down to his fingertips and even more peeking out from underneath his black wife-beater. He had a large moustache coupled with a beard styled into a two thin braids. To match the length of his beard, the man outgrew his hair, letting it reach his shoulder blades.

–All in all, the man looked like an outlaw biker.

With a twitch of her eye, the woman made herself as small as possible. Her knees bended to her chest and her back stuck to the cold brick wall, her manga clutched in her arms tightly. She was sitting behind a row of cardboard boxes that, thankfully, hid her form from her boss's hawkish eyes.

"I know you're here, Lili. I can smell your cigarette brand."

 _Shit._ The woman sighed in exasperation and stuck her head out over the boxes.

"What do you want, Matsumoto-san? I'm on my break, dammit!"

The man's gaze landed on her and he smirked at the sour expression on her face.

"Come inside for a sec. Got ourselves a rookie."

"Aw crap..." She muttered under her breath as she took a drag out of her cigarette. The last thing she wanted to do right now was to babysit a greenhorn. "I'm busy! Get one of the others to show him the ropes. I got _important_ stuff to do!"

"Like hell you do!" Matsumoto bellowed. "You've been reading that fucked-up manga for the past hour, you lazy bum! I can see you on the cameras, stupid! Move your ass inside before I cut out some of your hours!"

And with that the man retreated inside, all the way shaking his head at the idle woman. His patience with young people was being tested with each year.

Lili, as the man called her, groaned despondedly as her head thumped against her knees repeatedly. She wondered if this was a good time to resign and join the circus. She had always wanted to try sword-swallowing.

With heavy movements, Lili rose from the crate and dropped her cigarette bud to join its siblings on the ground. Shoving the manga in the back of her pants, she shuffled inside, resigned to a day of instructing some bonehead like an animal trainer.

The club was highly illuminated, the staff scuttling around busily, cleaning and readying the venue for tonight. Without the dim lights and brightly colored visual effects, the club looked like an aging woman without her makeup. But once it opened its gates for the masses, the ugly duckling turned into the Miss World winner.

Lili marched across the wide open space, passing the leather couches and low tables to the front where her fifty year old boss (who kept denying his age) was standing next to a very tall, blond guy.

Getting closer, the girl was surprised to see just how tall he was.

 _Holy shit…_

In all these years living in Japan, she's rarely seen tall Japanese men. Maybe that was because she didn't really mingle with people or maybe it's because she never really noticed the people around her all that often, but it still didn't change the fact that the top of her head came only up to his chin and, to be truthful, she felt intimidated. Back home, Lili would have been the average female height, but here, _she_ was the one that towered over the majority of women and she liked it that way. It felt kind of empowering to look down your nose at people, men especially.

Lili had to practically crane her neck to look the blond in the eyes. She couldn't really decipher what he was thinking since his honey-brown gaze seemed pretty much void. The picture of indifference.

Matsumoto motioned towards her with his now lit cigarette. "Heiwajima-san, this foul-mouthed girl is Lilith-san, one of my bartenders. Lili, meet Heiwajima Shizuo-san, your new barback."

The woman did a head to foot inspection and, without a second thought, categorized him as a failure.

"You gotta to be kidding me, jyoushi. Where the hell is he gonna fit? He's a giant, for fuck's sake! He'll squish me and the other bartender in there." She gave the blond the hairy eyeball. "I won't even have room to turn and his mug will be in my face."

"Oi." The first word out of the blond's mouth reminded Lili of ancient caveman. It seemed that her words hit the mark as his teeth grinded in annoyance, a vein protruding on his temple.

"Just ignore her, kid." Matsumoto waved his cigarette hand. "Besides being a lazy ass, she has just as much personality as a rock." He then proceeded to glare at the girl in question. "This is your barback and that's _final_. I can't afford you scaring off every other new employee just because you can't reign in that shitty attitude of yours."

"Che." Lili rolled her eyes and decided not to argue with her boss since it would mean she would actually have to put in some effort, and it could also lead to her getting crappy shifts as punishment.

Lili eyed the blond again. His outward anger seemed to have disappeared, but his gaze spoke of annoyance. Her eyes stopped on his hair as the interior lights made him appear like he was sporting a halo.

 _Pshhh…Blond, my ass. If he's a natural, I'll eat my shoe._

"So, Blondie…How old are you?" Lili crossed her arms, an unimpressed look designed over her features. "You barely look past the drinking age."

"I'm nineteen." His brow furrowed. "And my name's not Blondie."

Lili would never say it out loud but his deep baritone voice made her shudder, and not in a bad way. "Whatever you say, Blondie."

He outright scowled this time.

Matsumoto had watched their exchange with bored eyes and at the last moment, felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. "As fun as this is, I have _actual_ work to do. Heiwajima-san, you're going to follow Lili and do whatever she says…within _reason_." His hawkish eyes narrowed into slits at the woman. "Lili, if I hear that you made another one of the new staff do your personal errands, I'm gonna make you scrub the toilets after closing hour."

Lili actually felt shivers crawl down her spine. Just the thought of it brought out the horror. Cleaning the bathrooms after every idiot drunkard vomited, stuffed used tampons, shat and pissed all over was the work of the devil.

"Have fun, kiddies." The man smirked as he wiggled his fingers in farewell.

"Goddamn fat bastard." Lili spat once the man moved from within hearing range. He always did shit like this, dumping extra responsibilities on her like she was a receptacle. He knew she hated them with a passion, but did it either way. Something about her growing up and becoming a responsible adult and all that crap. She didn't really remember since halfway across his speech, her mind wandered over to greener pastures.

With a sigh, she scratched the back of her head and craned her neck towards the Sasquatch. "Come on. I'll show you the ropes. Not like I have anything better to do."

Shizuo followed the girl as she headed towards the second floor of the club up a winding staircase.

"So, when do you start?" Lili asked as she lit up a cigarette.

Shizuo watched the smoke billow around her head and without even thinking, leaned forward and inhaled deeply. He'd run out of cigarettes three days ago and he couldn't afford to buy a new pack, so even the smallest intake of nicotine felt like a blessing. He vaguely wondered when he had become such an addict.

Thankfully, Lili didn't notice his odd gesture. Otherwise, there would have been hell to pay.

Once he realized what he was doing, Shizuo straightened up with a faint reddening of his cheeks and looked around in case somebody saw him. When Lili didn't get an answer, she peeked over her shoulder, an eyebrow perking up in question.

"Tomorrow." Shizuo finally answered as he remembered her question.

The girl smirked. "Heh, Friday. Right on the busiest day of the week. You're gonna _love_ it." She looked forward as she continued her interrogation. "You ever worked in the club business, Blondie?"

"No. And I thought I told you to stop calling me 'Blondie'. My name's Shizuo."

"I'm not calling you that. As far as I see it, you're the new guy. Until you actually prove yourself to be called by your given name, you're stuck with Blondie."

It was sort of a tradition here at the club. The newbies were nameless until they held their ground; only then they got baptized. Lili didn't really see the point to it, but she went along with it since she had to integrate.

They reached a bar stocked with dozens of multicolored bottles, dazzlingly displayed on rafters. This bar was considerably smaller than the one downstairs and the general ambiance was much more luxurious. The woman turned towards him as she leaned against the countertop. Her cigarette was between her fingers, every now and then reaching her lips.

"So, this is the VIP section of Neon Angels." One of her hands petted the smooth wooden bartop with odd affection. "I usually work here along with another bartender. The main bar is downstairs and as you've probably noticed it's three times bigger. And trust me when I say this, you're lucky to be assigned to my bar because the other one would have given you ulcers within a month."

She still remembered how grueling her first few months at Neon Angels had been. She had been placed right in the location she spoke of not a minute ago and Lili had to admit, there were times when she thought about smashing the glassware over the bartenders heads just so they would stop demanding so many things from her.

"So, what's my job?" Shizuo asked as he curiously looked passed her shoulder at the interior. "Matsumoto-san told me that I have to do everything other than serve drinks."

"Well, yeah." Lili nodded as smoke escaped from her nostrils. "You're gonna clean the glassware, cut fruits, stock the fridges, bring ice, and anything else bartenders need but don't have the time to do. And with time, if you're smart and flexible, you can be promoted to bartender. That's how I did it."

Shizuo didn't really care about that, but if it meant—"If I get a bump in my money, I'd be okay with that."

"Aren't we all…" That's what she had thought in the first year, but now...

Ungluing from the counter, she walked towards one of the ends of the bar and crouched low. Shizuo watched as she appeared on the other side.

"Get in. I'll give you a quick run."

Without wasting a moment, Shizuo mimicked her actions.

Once inside, Lili gave the blond a sharp look. "Be focused, I'm not repeating this a second time. It would be too damn tiresome."

Shizuo nodded and redirected his attention on the woman and her words.

* * *

With a harsh sound, Lili closed and locked the heavy metal doors of 'Neon Angels' as she and the other bartenders were the last to leave. Waving her colleagues goodbye, she strolled through Tokyo's waking hours uninterrupted. It was six in the morning and the sun was just rising, painting the city in a reddish-orange hue.

She loved the early hours of the day. Granted, she was always tired, but these were the rare moments where she truly had peace of mind. Where there were no other distracters like loud dancing music or intelligible chatter, just the silence of a still dormant city. Which was a miracle in itself since Tokyo was a living, breathing organism. It never slept, just closed its eyes for a second before its system began its cycle anew.

Lili watched as street cleaners buzzed around making the city as spotless as a precious stone. As the bartender passed through the park on her way home she lazily watched the cardio freaks run by her. Always the same runners every time she got off work. They were like clockwork and, frankly, Lili couldn't understand how they could wake up at this ungodly hour to run kilometers around the city.

Lili covered her eyes with sunglasses and placed her headphones over her ears to listen to the chill vibes of Nunjabes. She needed something to keep her anchored to consciousness as her eyes were literally seconds away from closing. She had been awake for over 24 hours, courtesy to her sometimes not so thought-out insomniac tendencies and she wanted nothing more than to crash on her bed and sleep through a whole week. Unfortunately, she needed to be back to work by six.

The girl grimaced.

She'll be working with the new guy, Blondie. She really hoped some of what she told him stuck and he wouldn't screw it up like a complete fuckwad. It was Friday, and it was going to be _brutal_. Students were free of classes, so that meant everyone was going to go out to celebrate the start of the weekend. Not to mention her colleague was working tonight and will most likely drape all over the bleached blonde like a bitch in heat. She'll have to mop the bar counter for all the drool left behind.

Lili stopped at the exit of the park and lit up a cigarette. The sun was now half visible, brightening the city with each passing minute and Lili wanted nothing more than to reach her damn apartment and shut the curtains. She was a night owl. After two years of working in 'Neon Angels' she had grown an aversion to bright sunlight.

A sudden guitar riff announced her that she was receiving a call. Shuffling though her leather jacket she pulled out her cell phone and checked the caller ID. Rolling her eyes, she placed it back in her pocket and slipped the headphones back on to block out the annoying fly of a phone.

She wasn't in the mood to speak with anyone so early, much less her colleague.

Reaching her neighborhood in the quieter parts of the city, she pulled out her keys and fumbled with the lock on the gate. Once inside, she reached the three story building and let herself in. Her apartment was the last one top wise and so, kept her sounds to a minimum. Her neighbors were an elderly couple and a mother and her toddler, and she didn't want to wake them up. Especially the baby, since the little he-devil screeched like a banshee.

Finally inside her two room apartment, Lili placed her Ipod on the small hallway counter, dropped her backpack and threw her sneakers off her feet. Like a zombie, she shuffled to her bed and dropped on it, work clothes stinking of cigarettes and sweat still on.

As she tethered on the line between oblivion and reality, Lili was harshly disrupted from her long awaited sleep by a familiar guitar riff. Checking the phone, she groaned as it was the same person. The girl knew that that phone would keep on ringing until she answered.

She pressed the phone to her ear as she shifted to her side. "Oi."

" _Finally_ , you answer the damn phone." A nasal voice sighed dramatically. "Didn't you see the dozen missed calls?"

"I did. Didn't care."

"So antisocial. No wonder you don't have any friends." The man chuckled good-heartedly. He didn't seem upset at all for the girl's avoidant tendencies. In fact, he was rather used to it. "Anyways, what's up, Red? How was the night?"

"A lot of rich drunks, some idiot puked all over a table, and a hoebag tried to dance on top of the bar. Typical Thursday night shit." Lili grunted as she draped her arm over her eyes. "Why the hell are you up so early, Shinji? Don't you have your beauty sleep or something?"

"Just because I'm gay doesn't mean I'm a woman, Lili." The man snorted. "I got early classes. Some of us are actual productive members of society."

"I'm a productive member." Lili scrunched her nose up. "I serve alcohol to idiots and pussies to afraid to make a move without a stimulant."

"That's not being productive, that's just a service to mankind." The man chuckled.

"Ugh, whatever." Lili pulled out a pack of cigarettes from her back pocket and lit one up. She smoked wherever she wanted in her house, reason for having a lot of ashtrays nicked from work spread around her abode.

"We have a new slave." She announced nonchalantly.

"New barback, huh? He or she?"

"He."

"Aaah…" There was a hint of excitement in his tone. "Is he cute?"

Lili took a drag out of her cigarette as she rolled her eyes. Every time they had a new male staff member, Shinji would shamelessly flirt with them. Didn't matter if they were straight or gay, the bastard was relentless.

Blondie was cute, she couldn't deny that. He was a rugged, caveman type of cute. And his eyes…Lili bit on her cigarette. They were _intense_.

"Young, tall, blonde and handsome. Just your type."

"Oh, now I'm definitely excited!" The man's girlish giggles elicited Lili's disgust. While she had no problem with gay people, Lili hated clichés and sometimes Shinji slipped in the extremely, pansy gay role.

"He's straight, or at least I think so."

"Semantics. Anything else? Come on, Lili-chan, give me details. You know I live for them."

Lili scoffed as smoke trailed over her head. "His name's Heiwajima Shizuo. He's nineteen years old, so he's pretty much fresh meat. _Very_ tall. Like Yeti tall. Not much of a talker. Other than that, I didn't really pick up on anything else."

Shinji snorted. "Maybe that's because you probably ignored what he said half the time and just went on in your own little world like always."

"No, I don't." She said half-heartedly. She knew it was true, but she wasn't going to say it out loud.

The chirpy man laughs merrily to the annoyance of the girl. She just wanted to sleep.

"Heiwajima…" His laughter dies down in favor of a thoughtful tone. "Something about that name is familiar."

Lili shrugs. She doesn't really care. "He starts tonight and he's gonna be with us."

"~I can't wait~!"

Stubbing her cigarette in the ashtray on her nightstand, Lili turned towards the wall. "Yeah, I'm happy for you. I'm going to bed now. Bye."

Lili didn't even wait for Shinji to say anything as she snapped the phone shut and threw it over her shoulder.

She had a date with the Sandman and she wasn't going to miss it for anything in the world.

* * *

 _ **Foot Note:**_ As you probably realized the events will take place during the period Shizuo was a bartender and a bit after that.

So, what did you think?


	2. Knight with Strong Ass Fists

_**Author's Note:**_ New chapter, yeey!

I posted this one sooner rather than later since I just finished it, hehe. I'm actually writing this story as I go. I _do_ have a general outline of the fic and a plot. The only thing I need to do is detail this plot and give it some pillars to support it.

Enjoy!

* * *

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Fingers searched on the nightstand for the source of the annoying sound. A small electric alarm clock blinked consistently as the jingle kept on going. That is until a fist crashed down on the buttons, silencing it for the day.

Lili groaned as she rose up to a sitting position, bleary eyed and lethargic.

She felt like shit. Her whole body hurt—the soles of her feet were sore, the bones in her hands and lower back ached, and she had a low-pulsing headache.

 _All in a day's work._

Scratching her behind, Lili rose out of bed and headed in the bathroom for her long awaited bath. Half an hour later, the redhead was fussing around in the kitchen while the Tokyo news bleared on the small pink TV. A murder here, a political dispute there. Nothing new.

The cigarette in Lili's mouth was rolled from one side to the other every minute or so at a languid pace. She was currently making an omlette with ham, cheese and red bell-peppers. And for her morning drink, black coffee with a shitload of whisky.

—Breakfast of champions.

Lili took a sip out of her coffee and her eyes almost rolled in the back of her head from the sharp, bitter aftertaste. The girl hated whisky, but right now it was the strongest alcohol she had at hand. She needed to be up and sober because in three hours she'll be back at work.

 _Groan._

Just the mere thought of it had Lili chew on the filter, seconds away from ripping it in two. She didn't hate her job, per se. She was just too used to it.

–She was _bored_ , to be frank.

There were times where Lili had seriously considered quitting and finding another bar to work at. Other times, her mind ventured towards other areas of work—something with computers. But each and every time, her motivation to do so took a down-spiral and Lili was left indifferent to life once again.

Right now, she was just going with the flow. There were no future plans or worries she faced, just the present.

It was a simple life and Lili was okay with that…Or so she kept telling herself

The familiar guitar riff broke the girl's musing and she checked the caller ID.

 _Damn…,_ Lili frowned as she swiped the green button and placed her phone at her ear, all the while stirring her omlette.

"Hey, mom."

"Good afternoon, sweetie! How are you?"

"I'm ok."

Lili couldn't believe how chirpy her mother could be at this ungodly hour (it was three in the afternoon. Lili was a nightowl, people!). The woman was clairvoyant or something since she always knew just when to call Lili.

"You haven't called home in a while."

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry." Lili took the pan off the fire and threw her meal on a plate. "Been kinda busy."

A pause.

"Is Matsumoto-san working you too hard again? Maybe your father should—"

"No! He hasn't!" Lili almost cursed as she almost knocked the food plate on the ground as she abruptly turned with the pan. "I'm the one that's taking on extra shifts, besides I'm not sleeping so well. And don't drag _him_ in this. And he's _not_ my father."

Her mother sighed despondently, her usual response whenever her daughter rejected her husband.

"Is it the insomnia again?" She changed subjects to a milder one.

"Yeah." Lili sat at the table as she massaged her tired eyes. Even with the sleep she managed last night, the exhaustion was still set strongly in her body, giving her no relief. "It'll pass, mom. It always does."

"I wish you didn't work there, Lilith. You should be at a university right now, not wasting your nights in a club. I really don't—"

"Mom, we've been over this a hundred times." Her appetite just went out the window as she vehemently stabbed her fluffy, golden food. "I _hate_ school. It's a waste of time for me, the reason why I quit in the first semester. There is _literally_ nothing there that interests me."

"You didn't even give it a chance, Lilith!" Her mother urgently cried.

"I did!" The anger soon deflated, and Lili sagged in her chair, her cigarette already having smoked itself in the ashtray. "Urgh, can we please not have this conversation right now? I just woke up and I really don't want to ruin my day so quickly."

"Alright, sweetie." Her mother sighed, only this time, a much sadder one. One that Lili hated to hear, because every time she felt that guilt nagging at her for disappointing her mother. "Are you working today?"

"Yeah."

"…I thought we could have a family dinner. You haven't visited us in a long time and I miss you."

"How about Sunday?" Lili mumbled with a new cigarette between her lips. "I'm off then."

"That's great! I just hope your father can join us this time."

Lili rolled her eyes as she really couldn't understand why her mother insisted on painting that man as her father. He wasn't the one that helped conceive her. He wasn't there when she took her first steps, when she uttered her first word. He was just a guy her mother married after her real dad died. Some part of her understood her mother trying to integrate the man into Lili's life—she loved him after all—but Lili swore it just gave her a headache every time she tried. Like this dinner, for example.

"Mom, he's not my dad. Stop calling him that."

"He _is_ your father, sweetheart. I really hope you don't start that again in front of him. He may not show it, but it hurts him."

The incredulous snort escaped her before she could stop it. "I very much doubt that. The man's a stone statue."

"Lilith."

There was a hidden threat in that one word.

"Fine." The girl concedes to her life-giver. "I'll be civil."

"Thank you." The chirpy voice was back. "I'll see you Sunday at five."

"Bye, mom."

"Bye, sweetie."

Lili groaned once she shut the phone. A dinner with _him_ will be downright grueling, especially since Lili could barely restrain her contempt for the man. She could already see how it will transpire: her mother will be the peacekeeper at the table while Lili throws veiled jabs at the man and he remains unaffected by them which will only fuel Lili to keep trying harder until she loses the secrecy and outright curses him which will drive her mother to angry tears and finally make Lili mad for defending him, causing her to stomp out of the house, betrayed.

And with that the dinner is ruined.

* * *

Lili buttoned away on her phone, playing one of those silly color games. She still had some minutes before she had to prep the bar and she chose to spend them hidden away from her boss in the locker room.

"Damn, Red. You look like a truck ran over you."

Lazy eyes shifted upwards to land upon one Takeshi Shinji, her colleague and best friend. Shinji was a few inches taller than her with a lean body complete with lightly muscled limbs. His hair was straight, the color of hazelnut, fashioned in what Lili affectionately called the 'Trunk's cut'. Her friend had a long face detailed by sharp features, thin lips, high cheekbones and slanted eyes typical to all Asian born. But what Lili like the most about him were his light chocolate eyes that exuded warmth and joy at all times.

"Thanks, Shinji." Her attention returned to the phone's screen. "I just haven't been sleeping right."

The man plunked down on the bench next to the girl, placing his backpack next to him. "Girl, what you need is a vacation. How long has it been since you had one?

She shrugged. "A year or so, I think."

"Yeah, you _really_ need a vacation."

"Nah, I'd just get bored three days in." She stopped the game before pocketing her phone.

"It's better to get bored on a warm, sandy beach sipping on a Pina Colada than working here." A far-away, dreamy gaze took over the man's eyes. "Ah, now I wish I had a break."

"You need to stop daydreaming and focus on tonight." Lili deadpanned as she lit up two cigarettes, giving one to her friend.

"Oh, please." He waved her off as he took the offered cigarette. "Like I can't handle a bunch of drunken college students." A large sleek smile then took over half his face. "So, where's Shizuo-kun?"

"Fuck if I know." She shrugged as she checked the time on her phone. "He should have been here fifteen minutes ago. Maybe he got scared and decided to take the high road."

"Shit, I hope not. That would mean we're minus a helper." Shinji stared despondently at the metal lockers. "Knee deep in shit without a paddle."

"We've worked like this before. We can handle it."

"Yeah, right." Shinji snorted as he took a drag out of his cigarette. "I remember how well you handled it last time. Almost hit one of the clients with an absinth bottle. And you say you're a pacifist…"

"He pissed me off. I told him that we didn't have that brand of beer five times and he kept asking for it." Annoyance crawled underneath her skin as she was reminded of that particular moment. "What was I supposed to do?"

"Ignore him like any other sane person would." It seemed like a reasonable response.

"I did the first four times. I'm pretty sure the _fifth_ was intentional."

Shinji laughed, clouds of smoke trailing around him, but stopped once the door to the locker room opened abruptly. A tall man entered the room, his bleached blond hair shining as the light of the room hit his pale strands.

"Am I late?"

Shinji's brow rose at the size of the man. "Kami, you're tall." It then hit him as to who it was, making the smile reappear. "Are you Shizuo-kun?"

"Yeah." He dropped his backpack on the long bench. "I don't know who you are."

"I'm Takeshi Shinji, the other bartender you'll be working with today." Shinji rose to his feet and made a slight bow, his smooth grin still alive. "It's a _pleasure_ meeting you."

Shizuo looked strangely at him before returning the polite salute with a nod. He then focused on the girl since the man was giving him the creeps.

"Hey, uh…" A blank was in his head where her name used to be.

"Lili."

"Right." He scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, I'm shit with names."

"Whatever, man." Lili flicked her cigarette of accumulated ash. "Get your ass ready. We're opening the doors in two hours and that bar needs to be fully stocked."

The blond frowned before throwing his backpack and jacket into one of the lockers and stepping outside of the room. Not even a hello and the girl was already barking orders at him.

"Holy shit!" Shinji immediately gripped the girl's arm as soon as the blonde was out of ear's reach. "You didn't do him any justice, Lili-chan. He's freaking _hot_!"

"I guess." She took a drag out of her cigarette nonplussed.

"You guess?" He deadpanned before sighing dramatically. "Seriously, besides getting a vacation, you should get laid. You're starting to scare me."

"Aside from work, I don't exactly go out, so there's no way for me to meet anyone much less fuck."

"Do you want to become a shut in like those creeps that don't leave their rooms for months on end? Because that's where you're heading." An iron resolve settled in his dark irises. "Next week, we're going out clubbing. Drink some cocktails, dance a bit, catch some pretty boys and maybe we'll get lucky."

Lili groaned at the idea.

"You don't get to say no, Red." He tsked, wagging his finger. "Not this time. You need to get that stick removed from your ass and what better way than to have a di—

"Oi, you two." The loud, gravelly voice of their boss came from the open door of the locker room. He was standing on the threshold with his arms crossed, watching the two of them with a narrowed gaze. "Chatting away instead of prepping the bar, I see."

"No, jyoushi. You got it all wrong." Shinji waved his hands flamboyantly with a charming smile. "We're just exchanging strategies on how to effectively serve the clients faster."

"Uh-huh, I bet." He grunted doubtfully before going on his way. "Get the bar ready!"

"Aye-aye." The smile vanished before Shinij rose to his feet and got his uniform out of his backpack. "Come on. Let's do as he says before he starts cutting our hours again."

"You know…" Lili started as her eyes remained glued to the space her boss occupied not too long ago. "If it's anyone that needs to get laid around here, it's _him_."

Shinji laughed whole-heartedly.

"I don't think he can even find his own dick let alone stick it in something."

* * *

The club was beyond full.

Every night lover, party-goer and alcoholic was out, drinking and drugging their way into all out oblivion.

—Business was _booming_.

Lili and Shinji had been working six hours straight without pause as the people demanded more and more drinks from them. From cocktails to beers to multicolored shots that could be set on fire. It was a damn busy night, but it gave them energy. Especially since clients wanted to drink with them.

Shizuo had had a slow start, but over the past hours his movements increased until he entered in the frantic ryhtm of working in a high-demand bar. Every now and then, Shinji or Lili would yell for something or another that was depleted on their station, making the blonde run for it.

All in all, Shizuo was handling himself just fine for his first day. Compared to other barbacks they have had, he was a goddamn genius.

Lili just finished making an array of drinks before she heard a sharp dog whistle. Looking over, she noticed a drunken Japanese man waving his money like he owned the damn place. The girl really hated clients like that man—thinking that treating her like a dog will get her undivided attention. Closing her eyes for a second to dispel the anger, Lili walked leisurely over to the man and gave him one of her false smiles.

"What can I get you?"

"I want four shots of tequila and a quick one in the back from ya." He slurred through his speech and Lili sighed as she mentally marked this man as the 47th patron that offered her sex.

"I can give you the shots, but you'll have to get your pussy from somewhere else." The sharp smile never slipped from her face as she poured the man his shots.

"Oh, come on. Don't be like that." He placed the money for the alcohol on the counter as he offered her a large smile, thinking that he was being seductive when all he was doing was being an asshole. "How much do you want? I'll give you 10.000 yen."

A twitch settled at the corner of her eye. She hated making these conversations, but once in a while she indulged in seeing these rich boy's faces once she turned them down. Leaning over the counter, her white shirt opened just enough for him to see the top of her pale breasts.

"You think I'm that cheap to buy?" Lili purred enticingly.

"Oh, sorry." The man said absentmindedly as his eyes remained glued to her chest. "How about 60.000 yen?"

"No dice." She retracted from him once his fingers got too close for comfort.

"Aawww…Don't be like that." He grinned largely as his inebriated mind saw this as a cat and mouse game. "You're so beautiful. Your girl bartenders are all the same. I heard you white women are wild in bed. I just wanna to know if it's true."

And _that_ was the end of Lili's pretense.

"Look, man. Take your shots and go." The false smile turned into a thin line as she eyed the man coldly. "I'm not fucking anyone tonight, especially not a drunken idiot."

"Oi." The man's face soured. "Who you callin' an idiot?"

 _At least he didn't deny the drunken part._

"You, dickhead." Lili took the money for the shots from the counter, making that one mistake of never getting close to a drunken person.

The guy grabbed her wrist and pulled her so she was leaning against the bar. Surprised, Lili tried to pry his fingers off, but they were holding on too tight. Painfully tight.

"Listen, you bitch. Do you know who I—"

The man doesn't get to finish as a large hand gripped the arm holding the girl and the other clutched the top of his hair, slamming his face onto the bar counter. Released from her confines, Lili jumped back in surprise to see Blondie towering over the guy, annoyance plastered all over his face.

"She said piss off, so take your drinks and leave or I'll break that hand." He squeezed the man's arm in emphasis and the drunkard could feel his bones grate from the strain.

Dislodging from the man, Shizuo glared at him until the rich boy picked his face off the bar and scrambled into the crowd without his drinks, his tail between his legs.

Lili, and a few other patrons, stare at the bleached blonde in fear, but all Lili could feel was her heart thumping against her chest wildly.

Shizuo saw the awed stare the girl gave him and felt his cheeks flush red.

"I hate people like that." He explained as he scratched the back of his head, eyes averted. "Idiots that think violence solves everything."

Lili tried to say something as her mouth gapped open like a fish, but nothing came out. Embarrassed by the sudden attention, Shizuo went back to his work and Lili could faintly hear the clients calling and whistling and screeching for her attention, but all her eyes could see was the blonde's back.

 _Twack!_

"Huh?" Lili glared over to the culprit that hit her over the head and found Shinji frowning displeased at her.

"Stop daydreaming about his ass! The bar is full! Chop-chop!"

Rolling her eyes, Lili stopped herself from arguing with her colleague and simply went back to her patrons. But the memory of what just happened mere moments ago was still fresh and Lili couldn't keep her eyes from straying over to the bleached blond currently washing the glass.

* * *

Opening the back door, Lili inhaled deeply as clean air assaulted her smoke clogged lungs.

This was her first break after seven hours of work and she felt like a piece of dung that just got run over by a carriage. With numb fingers, she picked up the cigarette from behind her ear and the lighter in her pocket.

"Hey…"

A smoky gasp left her as she realized she wasn't alone in the back alley of the club. Shizuo was sitting on her fruit crate, his long legs stretched out before him and his back resting on the cold wall of the building.

"Hey yourself. Didn't know you were out here." She had felt that something was missing in the bar but hadn't realized it until now that it was her barback.

"I needed some fresh air." He said as his eyes traveled to the cigarette in her mouth.

"You and me both." Lili whispered as she picked up a beer crate and placed it in front of Shizuo, right in between the ends of his feet. The blonde's forehead creased as the girl sat down on it and looked him square in the eyes.

Awkwardness soon spread over his limbs as he couldn't understand the silent scrutiny he was being put under. The bartender was watching him like a hawk, her eyes glowing eerily from the reflection of the lit end of her cigarette.

Just as his patience reached an end, the girl finally broke the silence.

"You didn't have to do that, Blondie." She took a drag out her cigarette. "He was just drunk. You think that's the first guy that got handsy with me? After all this time I know how to get rid of them."

He shrugged. "A guy should never hurt a girl."

Lili laughed part in amusement, part in cynicism and the other part in disbelief. Chivalry didn't exist anymore, so why had he 'saved' her? After her initial astonishment had subsided, Lili's mind took an immediate turn towards suspicion. She had thought that he had wanted something for his 'noble' act, but his simple response just now made it clear that his motives had been rather pure.

"Well, aren't you the knight in shining armor?"

The smile on the girl's face disappeared just as quickly as it appeared making Shizuo second-guess its ghostly apparition.

"Just be cool next time." There was a stern expression setting her features. "In this job you need to be level-headed." She paused a she reconsidered her words. "At least, up to a point."

"I just don't like violence." Shizuo's upper body rose from the wall and he leaned forward so he could better inhale the nicotine.

The girl's eyebrows rose as she remembered his actions with the drunken man. "So, your answer to violence is violence?"

Shizuo's gaze lowered. Ever since this strength appeared in his life, Shizuo had never been able to react in any other way than with his fists. His brother had suggested various times that he use his words rather than his fists, but each and every time the red mist took over and he couldn't help himself from attacking.

He hated it. This loss of control. But—

"…I don't know any other way."

The girl's brow creased. She didn't know Shizuo's situation, but for him to be so finite had her rethinking her opinion of him. What could possibly make him so _resigned_? Was there something else to him? Some childhood trauma? It wasn't like he didn't have a choice. We all choose what course of action to take in certain situations and Lili couldn't believe that the only one Shizuo saw was through his fists.

Feeling that a gloomy atmosphere was forming—and right on her break—Lili quickly changed the subject to a more mundane one. Emotional conversations were not her forte and she wasn't psychically equipped to deal with one right now.

"Smoker, huh?" She smirked at him lightly as she saw his eyes once again stray towards her cigarette.

Startled, he tried to hide his obvious ogling. "What makes you say that?"

"You keep inhaling the smoke from my cigarette." She waved her half smoked tobacco stick. "Usually people try to avoid it; you're gobbling it up like a junkie." Picking up her rumpled pack, she threw it in his direction. "Here."

Catching it with a fumble, Shizuo looked oafishly at her before eyeing the pack in his hands. With careful fingers he picked one out of the dozen, his gaze sliding to her to see if she was being truthful or if this was some humorless trick to embarrass him.

But Lili wasn't even paying attention to him as she found enjoyment in making smoke circles then breaking them in half with her finger.

"Thanks." Shizuo handed the pack back and Lili gladly accepted it.

"The least I can do for my knight." The small smirk was back in place, only his time more sardonic than genuine.

"I'm not a knight." Shizuo frowned as he lit up his cigarette.

An amused huff left her before quietly slipping off her face. Lili's whole being seemed to withdraw from the situation as she leaned away from the blonde, her mind miles away from their small corner in the back alley of Neon Angels.

Now that she was distracted, Shizuo could look at her without interruption. The first thing that jumped to anyone's attention was the fact that she was a foreigner. Shizuo had seen tourists around Tokyo before, but they were nowhere near as pale as her. Shizuo could bet that in the light of the sun her skin gave off a cerulean tincture. There were numerous tiny freckles spread all over her slim cheeks and straight nose, and he could see some peeking out from underneath the collar of her shirt. Her cobalt eyes were dark in color with dense mascara painted lashes covering them. But the other thing that jumped in his eyes was her wavy ginger-red hair that reached the center of her back.

She was very pretty for an outsider, reminding him of those stereotypical Irish characters he saw in American movies. As far as he knew, she probably _was_ Irish.

"Where are you from? You're not Japanese."

The girl blinked languidly as if waking up from a dream before she gave him a pokerfaced look. "What gave me away? Was it my non-existent Asian features?"

Shizuo shook his head in exasperation as that mean streak of hers was back in place. "Shit, never mind."

Lili sighed as she rolled her eyes. It wasn't as if her country of origin was a secret, it's just that she was so used to hearing this question that she got tired of answering it. People's reactions varied from one person to another, from curiosity to indifference to even disdain. (How that was even possible she couldn't understand. She remembered her country being rather friendly). And some reacted with this hyperactive awe as if looking upon an alien from outer space. _Those_ were the creepy ones that tried to take pictures of you like a zoo animal.

"I'm from Scotland."

"Oh."

It seemed Blondie was of the curious category.

"When did—"

"Stop asking personal questions, Blondie." Lili's frown was back in place as she threw her finished cigarette and walked back towards the entrance of the club. The blonde's questions were starting to become a nuisance and she didn't feel like talking anymore.

The bartender gave Shizuo a sharp glower. "I'm the slave-driver here and you're the one working the fields. So, get to pickin'."

Shizuo sighed as he understood this being the end of his break. Taking one last puff out his nicotine stick, Shizuo walked past the ginger-haired girl and stepped inside the darkened area of the club.

Shame…he had actually started to enjoy having a _normal_ conversation for once.

* * *

It was seven in the morning when the doors to Neon Angels finally closed for the day.

Lili, Shizuo and Shinji walked down the scarcely illuminated streets of Tokyo with a slow gait, each with their own set of pains. The weekends were always the most arduous for the body, especially the feet. Lili wouldn't be surprised if she found blisters the size of coins when she got home.

With a sigh, Shinji stretched his arms high over his head before yawning mightily. "Damn, it was one hell of a night."

Lili nodded as she craned her stiff neck. Her whole body felt sore, especially her lower back from standing on her feet for so many hours and arms from too much tin shaking.

"So, Shizuo-kun, what do you think so far?" With a wide grin on his face, Shinji slid over to the giant, getting much too close to Shizuo's liking. "Isn't it just glamorous working in such a prestigious club? Enjoying the night life. Watching so many bodies sway to the rhythm of the music." His hand kindly touched his shoulder prompting Lili to roll her eyes in exasperation. "Doesn't it just _excite_ you?"

Shizuo's honey gaze slid to the hand on his shoulder then to the arm's owner. "Uh…no. Take your hand off me."

"Damn, I didn't mean anything by it." Shinji immediately retracted his limb, holding his hands in a peaceful gesture. The grin never slipped from his face even at the blatant rejection. "I was just being friendly."

"You're _too_ friendly." Shizuo lightly glowered at the bartender. He didn't understand why the man was so attached to him as they only just met. "Practically draping off me the entire night like a girl."

"He wants to fuck you in case you haven't noticed." Lili dropped the bomb making Shizuo's stutter and almost trip on his own two feet while Shinji glared at the redhead for her straightforward nature.

"The queen of subtlety, everyone. Give her a round of applause." The male bartender clapped sarcastically before turning to the blonde who was now regarding him differently. He even took a step further. "Don't pay her any attention; she hasn't had _some_ in a while so she's snappy."

The glare was reciprocated. "Don't talk about me like I'm not here, fairy."

"Don't cut in my conversations like a hussy then, carrot top!" Shinji quickly retaliated before taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. He really disliked it when Lili ruined his plans. He could have had a bit more fun teasing the blonde, watching his confused features as he tried to understand Shinji's actions, but _nooo_ , Red just had to rain on his parade. "Ahem, as I was saying before a certain fire-crotch interrupted me, what did you think of your first day?"

"It was…alright." Shizuo straightened his backpack as he now watched the man next to him more carefully.

Shinji raised a questioning brow. "Just…alright?"

"What do you want me to say?" The frown was back in place as he felt his patience seconds away from snapping.

A punch was delivered to Shinji's upper arm by a scowling Lili, ignorant of his exclamation of pain.

"Stop badgering him, Shinji. Angels is not a fancy hotel, it's just another Tokyo nightclub."

"You—!"

"Oi, assholes!"

The trio's attention moved forward as they came upon a gang of five men, all glaring and scowling at them. The men seemed to be somewhere between mid-twenties and early thirties and at the head of them was the drunkard that had gotten physical with Lili a few hours ago.

—And they were armed with baseball bats and crowbars.

"Oh shit…"

Shinji's whisper mirrored the thoughts swimming in Lili's head as she realized the bad position they were in. This could potentially get really ugly in a short amount of time.

"Remember me?" The leader snarled as his eyes stayed on Shizuo with such hatred that it was almost palpable.

"Not really…" Shizuo squeezed his eyes as he tried to place the face in his memories.

Both Lili and Shinji's eyes widened in stunned disbelief at the bleached blonde's cheek. He couldn't possibly be joking around because this wasn't a laughing matter, and no way was he that ignorant to the guy's identity. He smashed the guy's face just this night! The bruise on his cheek was proof of that!

"Wha—" The man's face fell at Shizuo's obliviousness before an ugly snarl contorted his features. "You bastard! Don't you dare play dumb! You did this to my face! You know who _I_ am? Me and my friends are gonna fuck you up!" He pointed at him with a metal bat. "You and that red-haired bitch!"

Shinji took a hold of Lili's hand and pulled her to his side, frightened for his friend. The girl in question seemed to be in shock as she had never been placed in such a dangerous situation. Lili had made it her life goal to never get in physical confrontations (besides the fact that she sucked at them) and now that she was in one, she completely froze. This wasn't her area. She didn't know if she should run or call the police or—

Shizuo grunted as he finally realized who the guy was. He was the asshole from today and it seemed he brought his buddies to exact revenge. The blonde snorted. They really didn't know who they were messing with, did they?

Lili turned to the blonde ready to tell him to run, but her words died right in her mouth. He didn't seem frightened; in fact, Shizuo looked downright bored which only seemed to fuel the men's anger as their proclamations didn't get the expected results.

"Hey, you deaf?!" The leader waved his bat around threateningly, spit dripping from the corner of his mouth like a rabid dog. "I said we're gonna kick your—!"

"I heard ya." Shizuo barked as he threw his backpack to the ground, preparing himself for the inevitable. "I just don't care."

That seemed to infuriate the men further, prompting Lili to pull her hand from Shinji's and step in front of Shizuo, blocking his way.

"Hey, Heiwajima." Lili's voice slightly shook as she stared pleadingly at harsh honey-brown eyes. Her small pale hands anxiously gripped the front of his jacket, her survival instincts screaming at her to preserve herself. "I think we should run. Like right _now_."

"I second that." Shinji said from behind them, his heart in his throat. "I'm a lover not a fighter."

Shizuo's blank gaze finally seemed to spark with some life as something akin to doubt ghosted over before finally settling into cold determination. His large hands engulfed Lili's completely (so _tiny_ …) as he pried them off his jacket.

"Get out of here."

He tried to walk past the girl, but she seemed rather persistent to stop him as her fingers clenched over the sleeve of his jacket.

"Don't."

The worst part of this all, was that Shizuo could actually see the genuine worry for him. _Him_? Someone who shrugged punches and kicks off like they were flies. Who could pull goal posts out of the ground like they were nothing? He didn't know if he should laugh or feel touched by her concern.

He turned his head towards the man behind him. "Get her out of here."

His authoritative voice snapped Shinji out of his frozen state and without pause, the bartender grabbed Lili's arm and pulled her back from the blonde.

"Come on, Red! If Blondie wants to get his ass kicked that doesn't mean I also want mine!"

Lili stared in shock at her friend as she couldn't believe he would just abandon someone to the mercy of five men. She knew Shinji didn't exactly stick his neck out for people, but this was different. These assholes could actually _kill_ Shizuo in their drunken rage.

"Shouldn't we call the cops or something?"

Shinji snorted sarcastically. "Like that'll help. Run!"

He pulled her strong enough that Lili had no choice but to follow. The redhead looked behind her to see Shizuo walk calmly towards the five men, either unafraid or simply stupid brave.

As the two bartenders reached the start of an alley, she heard it—screams of pain.

 _Oh no!_

Lili ripped her hand out of Shinji's so she could fully turn and see what was happening. Her phone was already out of her pocket and her fingers dialed the police, but once her eyes settled on the fight, she froze.

The screams of pain weren't Shizuo's.

In fact…it was the five men's.

Lili stared in awe as five grown men were thrown around like dolls by a boy not even two decades old. Shizuo was like a beast, wildly punching any part he could touch. The inhuman growl the blonde let out shook Lili down to her core, unable to believe that this was the same guy who told her not too long ago that he hated violence.

But now all she saw was someone who got their thrills from destroying his opponents. There was a wide, animalistic grin on his face as he sent a strong kick into one of the men's side, sending him flying through a window's shop causing the alarm to go off. Lili gasped in terror as his next target was sent skidding across the pavement, face first. He did not get back up again.

Two down, three more to go.

Shizuo grunted as a crowbar connected with his back, only managing to infuriate him instead of stopping him like it would have a normal person. The man almost shit his pants as he watched his weapon get taken out of his hands and bent in two without effort.

The man scream turned high-pitched once Shizuo grabbed a fistful of his shirt and raised him high enough to be face to face with him. Whatever the blonde told him had the desired effect as the thirty year old man promptly fainted.

The last two were the leader and one of his friends. The friend, once realizing that he had no chance of winning against the berserker, fled without a look backwards. The leader of the group screamed after him, but the distant man paid no attention as he kept on running.

Shizuo let the man in his grip fall to the ground without an ounce of gentleness as his eyes were firmly locked on the asshole that started this whole mess.

The man took a step back, clutching his metal bat in fear. It then dawned on him that he was alone, his friends were either unconscious or had abandoned him, and that there was only one option for him: fight or flight. And the man couldn't run again, his ego wouldn't allow him as a man. He already ran once after being humiliated in front of a crowd, and he wasn't going to do it again.

With a scream, the man charged Shizuo.

The blonde glowered with his lips set in a stern line. As the man got closer, Shizuo cocked his fist back waiting for the right time to strike.

Lili's knees went weak as she witnessed the most _unbelievable_ and terrifying sight of her life.

As the man stepped within Shizuo's range, the blonde let his fist fly. The punch connected with the man's jaw, sending him soaring through the night air. The contact had been so _ungodly_ strong that the drunkard's shoes flew out of his feet along with his coat jacket as his body flipped through the air like a coin.

Lili didn't even see where the man landed as all she could see was Shizuo. Strong Shizuo. Terrifying Shizuo. Brutal Shizuo. _Inhuman_ Shizuo.

"Holy shit…"

Lili turned her head slowly to her forgotten friend who seemed to have remained with her all this time, also entranced by this superhuman display.

Shinji stared in dumbstruck horror at Shizuo.

"Now I know why that name sounded familiar…"

Lili didn't understand what he was talking about as her brain was still in a fog, but she did feel Shinji grab her hand and pull her numb body along with his.

Her eyes remained glue to Shizuo's form and his head turned towards her just as Lili disappeared behind the corner, losing herself in the early hours of a new day.

* * *

 _ **Foot Note:**_ Uuuu, Lili finally saw what Shizuo was capable off. I swear if I ever saw something like that in real life, I would do the same as the two bartenders and leg it. Before crapping my pants, that is.

I thought about delaying Shizuo's show of power but then I said—why not do it right now. The sooner the better. After that I can see how Lili's reactions and choices will be in regards to this new discovery.


	3. Sunday Family Dinner

_**Author's Note:**_ Thank you to all that have reviewed, favorite and followed my Durarara fic! It's much appreciated.

So Shizuo won't appear in this chapter because I want to focus this one on Lili and her family. To introduce them to the table.

Enjoy!

* * *

"How the fuck is this possible?!"

Lili sat on her couch with her knees draw to her chest, a cigarette dangling between her fingers. She and Shinji had ran all the way to her apartment since it was the closest and barricaded themselves inside. The moment she set foot in her home, Lili had fallen to her knees beyond exhausted. Besides being a smoker, Lili hadn't done any work-out since PE in high-school so she was understandingly out of shape.

The redheaded girl wasn't even paying attention to her companion as he kept ranting on. Her mind was still fixated on Blondie's fight as she tried to understand _what_ she just saw.

"I mean I knew my brother was unreliable, but for him to actually tell the truth for once is nothing short of miraculous. How could I believe him at that time, you know?" Shinji threw his hands up in the air dramatically. "It was a crazy story!"

Hearing no response, the bartender faced the girl. She was far-away into her world and worst of all, she probably hadn't heard a thing of what he had said.

"Hey, are you listening to me?" Shinji poked the girl in the shoulder.

Blinking, Lili finally returned to the present with a confused look on her face. "Huh?"

"Dammit, Lili!" In annoyance, Shinji grabbed the girl by the shoulders and shook her strong enough that her neck risked snapping. "Get your head out of the clouds and listen!"

"To what?" She snarled as she pushed the boy away. "All you're doing is walking around mumbling crap to yourself."

Shinji pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep calming breath. _Breathe in, breathe out_. He plops on the other end of the couch and sat like that for a few moments before opening his now composed eyes. "You remember my little brother, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, while he was in high school he told me this crazy story about a student. This kid was one or two years younger than him, I don't really remember, but what I _do_ remember is that my brother told me that this kid was _strong_. And I mean super-strong. He pulled a freaking goal-post out of the ground and waved it after some bullies like it was a freaking stick!" At Lili's incredulous eyes, Shinji raised his hand to stop the girl from opening her mouth. "Granted, I didn't believe him at the time. The story was so out of proportions and my brother is a compulsive liar, so I just chalked it up as him making up another story to give himself some attention."

"Okay." Lili drawled not seeing the point of his story. "So?"

"What do you mean _so_?" All that poise flew out the window at Lili's skepticism. "It's him! Blondie! He's the super-strong student!"

"What makes you say that?"

"My brother told me that this kid was blonde, bleached blonde, and that his name was Heiwajima." His eyes widened fanatically as he bumped his fist in his open palm. "That's why his name sounded familiar! It's because I've heard it before!"

"Maybe he was talking about someone else." Lili snorted. Shinji was taking this out of proportions. A kid pulling a goal-post out of the ground? Be serious. "Or maybe he _was_ actually lying like he always does and what Shizuo did was like some kind of adrenaline infused rage. I mean I read somewhere about a mother lifting a car off her baby—"

"Oh, please!" Shinji scowled as his scientific half took over. "That's an urban legend. It was never scientifically proven that adrenaline can give you inhuman strength." He then grabbed Lili's arm so she could focus on him. "Listen to me, Red. I know what I'm saying. Shizuo is that kid!"

Once again, Lili had to push Shinji away from her. He was so frazzled that she just wanted him to shut up.

"Alright, fine! Blondie is the freaking Juggernaut."

The bartender frowned in confusion. "Who the fuck is the Juggernaut?"

"He's an American comic book villain."

Shinji rolled his eyes in exasperation. He hated mangas and comic books—basically anything that was a graphic novel. He found them childish and illogical and, frankly, stupid. He once went to a manga store with Lili and seeing so many pre-pubescent kids and teenagers (even adults, yuck!) all giggling and gushing over some badly written characters with balloons for tits had him escape the shop in a matter of seconds.

He seriously could not understand Lili's appeal for these picture books, but then again it fit the redhead's immature lifestyle.

"What now?" Lili finally asked as she extinguished her finished cigarette. "Are we supposed to forget what we saw or just ignore it and move on?" She gazed at Shinji with hesitant eyes. "To tell you the truth, Shinji, I can't really forget. I don't think I'll _ever_ forget. "

"Neither do I." The bartender leaned back on the couch with a sigh, his hand anxiously running through his hair.

Lili lit up another cigarette as the scene once again flashed through her eyes. "I mean, did you see how that guy _flew_ in the air from just one punch? How is that even possible? It felt like I was watching a movie or reading one of my mangas."

It had been unreal. Like stepping into a different world where fantastic stuff happened.

Shinji shook his head as even he couldn't understand it.

"I don't know, but I can tell you this—I don't think I can work with the guy knowing that he could send me through the wall if he just lightly bumped against me."

* * *

After Shinji had left her house, Lili decided to take a walk. The air was too stifling inside her apartment and she needed to oxygenate her brain to think clearer.

It was almost nine in the morning and there was too much activity on the streets already. Lili zipped up her hoodie and threw the hood over her head along with a pair of sunglasses to protect her eyes. It was the start of autumn and Lili could already feel the cold settling in. She had always been too sensitive to the changes in weather and even the slightest draft had her in plush winter clothing.

As always, a cigarette dangled between her lips and rivulets of smoke trailed behind her as she entered the park near her home. It was small and initially meant for children, but she knew that a lot of teenagers hung out there, especially at night. Teenagers with a shitload of weed.

She needed some relief. Something to clear her mind and let her sleep peacefully because tonight she had a date with her mother and she needed to be funky fresh. Her usual dealer was out of Tokyo for the month and she had finished her supply a few days ago so she needed some pot fast.

Inside the park, she found a few teens messing around on skateboards. Most likely brats who were skipping school, smoking cigarettes all day, thinking they were cool. They saw her approaching and some of them stopped rolling around on their boards.

"You lost, Freckles?" The one with blue and purple hair asked, smoke billowing from his nostrils.

"You holding anything green, skater boy?" Lili stopped a few feet from the group, the dark lenses of her glasses glinting in the morning sun.

"Maybe…" He smirked slightly as he eyed his friends. "Doesn't come cheap, though."

Lili took out of her pocket a stack of yen and showed it to the pack leader. "Good enough for you?"

The boy counted the total she had in her hand and nodded. He pushed his skateboard until he slowly rolled right in front of her. He was pretty for a boy. One of those model types with chiseled features and if it weren't for the brightly colored hair and obvious teenage rebel attitude, he would have been striking.

He held his hand out expectantly and Lili frowned before also extending her hand sarcastically. She wasn't going to just hand a sum of money to a kid without seeing the product. He might just think something along the lines of running away on his board. Kids were _smart_ like that.

The boy smiled cheekily before taking out a small bag of green goodies and wiggling it in front of her. The girl deposited the money in his palm and took hold of the bag. She tugged but the boy wouldn't let go.

A frown met his grin.

"Hey…" His dark eyes slowly roved over her lean body. "You ever need some greens again, I'm always around here, Freckles."

She said nothing as she tugged the bag out of his fingers and left. She could hear them wolf whistling after her and chuckle among themselves. _Brats…_ She couldn't believe that she had once been like them.

Entering her apartment, she wasted no time and made herself a joint. Not even fifteen minutes later did she feel the effects and sank into the couch. Even with her mind muddled, it still remained on one bleached blonde. She was still of the belief that Blondie's strength was a product of bodily fluids. I mean, how else could he have done that? There were no such things as mutants or super-soldiers or superheroes. Shizuo was just another teenager.

She had seen fights before. In her line of business, there was always one brawl per night from too much alcohol intake or drugs. But there had never been anything out of the ordinary about them, just regular fights. How the hell did Shizuo do it then?

Lili let smoke escape from her mouth and nose as she dazedly stared at the ceiling.

What if…What if Shinji was right?

A person that could rip a goalpost out of the ground, just like that, was unheard of. If it was real, shouldn't she had heard of it or at least been shown on the news? It wasn't like something of that nature was an everyday Tokyo occurrence. Even Japan wasn't _that_ strange as all the people outside of it thought.

An astounded smile settled over Lili's lips.

 _A real live superhero._

She stared in awe at the ceiling as memories flew by her. She wasn't a fan of violence, but the way Shizuo had moved, almost as if locked in a deadly dance. Like it had been practiced over a life time.

 _So beautiful…_

A cough.

Lili looked at the joint in her hand bewildered. _This thing is_ good _._

She shook her head as such thoughts shouldn't have a place inside her head. The weed was just messing with her mind. Lili groaned as she threw her arm over her eyes. She felt like her brain would implode from all the questions and images buzzing around in her head. She needed sleep badly but it seemed even with the stimulant it wouldn't come.

 _Damn…_

It seemed that she'll have to see her mom wide awake.

* * *

With a deep inhale, Lili pushed the button of the security interphone outside the gates of a modern two-story Japanese house.

The redhead adjusted her dark dinner jacket as she looked over herself once again. She had a short-sleeved, frilly black blouse with floral patterns on, dark red jeans, dark high-heeled boots, some leather accessories on her wrists and a chain stuck to her belt. She fixed the golden chain around her neck so that the tiny unicorn pendant was resting between her clavicles.

The interphone crackled and whizzed.

"Hello. Who is it?" Lili heard her mother's electronic voice.

"It's me, mom."

"Oh, come inside, sweetie!"

The gate door opened and Lili stepped inside, walking the gravel path towards the double doors of the house. The heavy doors opened before she even climbed the two rows of stairs and her bubbly mother greeted her.

"Lilith!" Her high-heels clicked across the stone steps as she reached her daughter and hugged her tightly. "Oh, how I missed you!"

Lili patted her mother on the back as she winced. "Mom, you're crushing me. Can't breathe."

"Oh, sorry." She let her go before giving her a daughter a look over. At least she dressed for the occasion, the woman thought with a smile. "Come on inside."

Lilith followed her parent all the while observing her. She had lost some weight from the looks of it, but as always her mother looked good no matter what she did. She was a curvaceous woman endowed both upstairs and downstairs, the envy of many of the female species. The same mop of wavy ginger hair adorned her head, only hers was up to her chin with one side shorter and the other longer and more curled. Compared to Lili, her mother's skin was less pale and healthier looking while her face was considered to be very attractive—small pouty lips, straight nose, slim cheeks, doe-like hazel eyes and slim eyebrows. She always reminded Lili of those black and white era movie actresses.

Except for the hair, skin, cheeks and nose, Lili couldn't see any other resemblance between them. She had taken more after her father than her mother.

Lili couldn't complain. She didn't exactly turn heads, but she thought she looked pretty decent.

* * *

"How've you been, mom?"

Both mother and daughter were inside the large kitchen with Lili sitting at the island table, drinking from a beer bottle. Her mother was busying around, finishing up the final touches to tonight's dinner.

"I've been good." The older woman wiped her hands on her apron. "I have to leave for Kyoto next week for an exhibition opening. The artist is a friend of mine and he asked me to oversee the whole affair. I hope it goes alright."

"That's great, mom." Lili wasn't really an artsy kind of person, so she never had a predilection for it.

Hearing her daughter's far-away tone, the mother paused in her domestic work and watched her with a tilt of her head.

"What's wrong, Lilith?"

Blinking away the haze, Lili shook her head before taking a swing out of her beer. "Nothing, I just have some things on my mind."

"Is it about work?"

"In a way." Lili's finger ghosted over the rim of the bottle. "It's about a new colleague of mine. He's…complicated."

Even now she still couldn't get Shizuo out of her head. He was like one of those annoying songs that struck to your brain set on repeat forever.

"Good way or bad way?"

Lili leaned back in her chair as she crossed her ankle over her knee, a dumbfounded expression on her face. "I'm not sure yet."

Was he a pleasant, oldie-but-goldie song or a modern, turd made for money song?

"Well, sweetheart, don't get involved with people like that." She frowned softly as her attention returned to the steak in the oven. "They're not good for you."

A short guffaw almost escaped the girl as she hid her mouth behind her hand.

"Talk about hypocrisy."

"Hmm?" Her mother gave her an articulate raised brow. "Did you say something?"

"I said dinner looks crispy." Lili quickly covered.

The older woman looked back at the oven window with worry. "Does it? I hope I didn't burn it. It would be a real shame."

Lili rolled her eyes as her mother always took everything to heart. "It looks alright, mom. Don't get so worked up over it. It's just food. We can always order takeout."

A knowing look met bored dark blue eyes. "Not everyone can survive on junk food and takeout, Lilith."

Lili isn't listening, though; she is deep in thought again. Her mother noticed the change and she leaned against the counter, watching her daughter pensively.

"Lilith?"

"Hmm?" The girl didn't raise her glazed eyes from the point where they remained fixated on.

"This is the first time I see you so thoughtful." The woman smiled softly, feeling a sense of home now that her daughter was here. "Usually, you're either brooding or lazing on the couch, watching TV or reading those violent children's books."

That seemed to have snapped the girl out of her trance and she pouted in annoyance. "They're graphic novels, mom. Not kid books."

"If you say so."

"Mom…" Lili let go of the beer bottle and splayed her palms flat and fingers wide on the island top. "Have you ever seen something extraordinary?"

Like a bird, her mother tilted her head. Her wide eyes had the wanted affect of making her appear confused. "Like what?"

"I don't know, just something odd that you can't explain at first sight." How could Lili tell her about Shizuo without sounding crazy? She couldn't just outright say that she saw a guy with enough strength to bend a crowbar in half with barely any effort.

"I once saw an illusionist." The older woman crossed her arms as one of her willowy fingers tapped against her chin in thought. "He was pretty good. I really couldn't understand how he did those acts."

Lili deflated as her hopes for understanding went out the window. "I'm not talking about parlor tricks, mom. I'm talking about real stuff."

"Such as?" Her mother seemed hopeless as she couldn't understand what her daughter was trying to get at. "Are you talking about the supernatural? Aliens?"

Before Lili could answer, the two women heard the front door open and close with a silent click. Lili's mood instantly soured as she knew who just entered the house. _He_ was here.

"Bonnie?" A gruff voice echoed in the large house.

"I'm in the kitchen with Lilith!" Bonnie, as Lili's mother name was, shouted with an excited smile.

Lili could hear his steps coming closer until the man's shadow passed the threshold and there he stood at the entrance of the kitchen—tall, dark and intimidating.

His white suit looked immaculate over the crimson red shirt and dark red shoes. Like always, the man was dressed to impress and Lili could see no fault in his visage. There was that permanent frown on his face that seemed to have forever etched the lines on his forehead. His dark, sharp eyes regarded Lili passively.

"Lilith."

Lili gave the man a faux smile as she greeted him coldly.

"Shiki."

* * *

Dinner was as uncomfortable as Lili predicted. Nobody was talking and the only sounds heard were the sound of cutlery scratching the plate surface and their teeth chewing on their food.

The bartender breathed in deeply. This was _exactly_ why she hated these get-togethers. They were so constricting, tense and just plain awkward.

Not even the food looked appetizing—a lot of vegetables and meat with low fat and barely any carbs. Mother was most likely trying to live a healthy lifestyle again. How the hell could this woman eat such tasteless food was beyond her. It didn't even fill your stomach up.

With a sigh, Lili's gaze found Shiki once again as he sat at the head of the table. She couldn't help herself, the man's dark aura just made the focus of the room gravitate towards him. But he seemed unaffected by Lili's stare ( _glare_ ) as he ate his food with precise chews.

"So," Bonnie took a sip of her rosé wine as she smiled at her daughter and husband pleasantly. "I was thinking that we should go on vacation, all three of us. I looked over some great destinations—Tahiti, Bahamas, maybe even Hawaii. Or if you like the mountain side, we could go to Switzerland or Slovakia…"

 _Oh dear God._

Lili's eyes were the same size as the dinner plate she was eating off of. Her stomach clenched painfully as she stared in slight terror at the man next to her.

 _A week stuck with_ him _is an absolute nightmare._

"I have work, mom." Lili quickly cut off her mother. "I can't really go on a trip."

"Of course you can. You have vacation days. And I know you haven't used them this year." She waved her off with a neatly manicured hand. "Matsumoto-san will understand."

"But he _needs_ me." The bartender strained that part. She really didn't want to go and she'll do anything to get out of it. "We're short on staff these days."

"Hmm…" The older woman frowned before turning to her husband with a concerned gaze. "Honey, can you talk to him?"

Lili now openly glared at the man.

"I don't think I should interfere, Bonnie." The man didn't even grant the girl a second of his attention. "I don't want to make Lilith feel uncomfortable at her work place."

"Yeah, don't butt in."

"Lilith!" Bonnie hissed at her daughter.

Lili bit her tongue from saying something else she might not regret. Her bite at him had been a slipup, nothing more. Not that she hadn't enjoyed it.

Bonnie let her 'everything-is-alright' smile reappear on her face which just eerily reminded Lili of the Stepford Wives. "I really think we need some time to bond. We haven't gone on a trip in years, Lilith. Not since you were a little girl." Her smile turned warm and far-away. "Remember Paris? I think it would do you good to be away from Tokyo for a while."

Well, she was right on that part. A different scene might just help her in rethinking her life or just her thoughts in general.

"Alright, mom…" Lili smiled as she touched her mother's hand. "But _only_ the two of us."

Bonnie sighed before taking a much larger drink from her glass of wine.

Lili shrugged indifferently at the only man in the room. "No offence."

"None taken." Shiki then took hold of his wife's hand and gently smiled at her. "She's right, Bonnie. You two _should_ go. I can't leave Tokyo right now, either way."

"What's wrong, Shiki?" Lili smirked nastily as she let go of her cutlery. "Someone doesn't like your _paintings_?"

"Lilith…"

"What?" The girl leaned back in her chair, the smile never leaving her. "You know as well as I do that he can't leave Tokyo, not with his line of work."

Bonnie blinked rapidly before the Stepford smile was back in place. "I think we should change the topic of this conversation, dear—"

"No, I don't think we should." Lili lost all amusement as she watched the man like a hawk. "I'm actually really interested on why he never talks about his work. Don't husbands usually talk about their dreary day at the office or how their stupid, lazy boss won't give them a promotion? Or could it be that you _can't_."

"Lilith, stop it." Her mother's eyes narrowed in warning.

"No, mom. Stop defending him!" Lili threw her napkin on the table in disgust. She did this every time a fight broke out—taking his side without even considering her. "We both know _what_ he is and what his job entails."

"And what do you know, girl?" Shiki leaned in his seat, his gaze impenetrable.

"Awakusu-kai. Yakuza." She spat at him vehemently. "You're a thug. A criminal. You're low-life."

"Lilith!"

"You should have never married him in the first place, mom!" Lili pushed the seat behind her, making it scrape against the floor. Right now, a red haze settled over her mind, narrowing her line of sight until the only thing she could see was Shiki. "He's dangerous. He's gonna get you killed one day!"

Bonnie rose from her seat and smacked her palms hard enough on the table surface to rattle the cutlery and glass.

"Enough, Lilith!"

Silence.

Bonnie had tears in her eyes which Lili only now noticed.

"Shit."

Bonnie wiped the tears hastily before leaving the table and fleeing the room. She didn't even stop when Lili grabbed her arm lightly.

"Mom…"

The two parties left at the table heard a door slam somewhere inside the house, leaving them to stressed silence.

Shiki looked over the upturned glass with a detached eye. He leaned over his seat and picked up a fork that must have fallen off the table.

"Another evening ruined…" He threw the fork on his plate. "Which number is this one? I lost count some time ago."

Lili's lips contorted as she read between the lines. "Bite me."

"Charming, but unnecessary." A smirk came and went but his eyes never changed from their steely shine. "I have your mother for that."

Lili's face contorted into disgust. She didn't need to know that.

Searching in his suit pockets, he came up with a cigarette and lighter. The smell of nicotine assaulted her within moments and Lili felt her own addiction stirring.

"Mom doesn't allow smoking in the house." Her mother had always hated the smell of cigarettes, especially when it embedded into fiber. She always said that this was the ugliest way to ruin fine quality clothes.

"I'm sure you're not petty enough to tell on me, but then again I could be wrong." He took a drag out of his cigarette and seemed to enjoy the taste like an old lover. Opening his eyes, Lili noticed the menacing sheen they took on and straightened her back in defense.

 _It looks like the statue is coming alive._

"I really don't understand why it is so hard for you to just pretend to be happy for your mother for just one dinner. Do you hate me that much that you can't even control yourself for a few hours?"

A sardonic smirk. "I think you already know that answer. I'll never accept you in _my_ family. You're a blemish. A poison."

Lili just knew that one day this man will cause her mother extreme heartache and she had no wish to see that happening. Her mother had already been through too much to get heartbroken _again_.

"From what I've seen so far, you're the only that's poisoning this family." At Lili's incredulity, he explained further before the girl started ranting. "I compromise for your mother every time she wants to have dinner with all of us. It makes her happy having you around the house again and I _like_ seeing her happy, but I know that her idyllic fantasy is just that, a fantasy. You can never compromise and, in effect, you shatter her dream each and every time with your childish attitude."

Lili almost chocked on her disbelief. "Childish?"

"What else do you call these temper-tantrums of yours?" The man titled his head like a lazy panther. "I've seen toddlers more well behaved than you."

"Up yours, you prick!" Lili showed him the finger which just reiterated his point. "Mom would have been much happier without you. We were fine before you came along and ruined everything!"

The man smiled in slight amusement. "And how did I ruin your lives, Lilith? I gave you and your mother a roof over your heads. I found Bonnie a high-standing job. You went to a private school. I _encouraged_ Matsumoto-san to hire you without any prior experience. So, do tell?"

"You think life is all about materialistic crap?" Lili felt like stabbing the man's smile off. "You think me and my mom are that shallow that you can buy us like some cheap who—"

"Watch your mouth, girl." His features reverted back to stone as he gave his step-daughter a withering glare. "I'm not above slapping you if you bad-mouth your mother. And no, I don't think that. But if you did then I'm sure you would have never finished school and you would have never accepted to work at Neon Angels—one of Awakusu-kai's establishments. So get off that delusional high-horse of yours, Lilith."

He rose to his feet and clasped the center button of his suit with a practiced hand. Lili took a step back as his presence seemed to encompass the entire room.

"Now, I'm going to go console your crying mother and you should leave." Shiki walked around the table and headed towards the hallway Bonnie had disappeared into and Lili was standing in the way. "The first thing you will do in the morning is call her and apologize for your lack of manners and empathy, and you _will_ do it."

"What makes you think that?"

The man stopped in front of her, the steel in his features never changing. Leaning forward had the desired effect as Lili backed away like a skittish animal. He smirked faintly as the girl's dark blue eyes kept fleeing from his gaze.

"You bark and you hiss, but ultimately, you _are_ afraid of me."

Lili pressed her lips tight as Shiki walked by her. She waited until she heard the door close to let the shuddering breath she had been holding out. There was a black urge inside her tempting her to breaking something, do something that would cause the rage inside her to quell. She hated him, practically loathed the man. Mostly because of what he was, but also because Lili didn't know how to stand up to him, how to beat him at his own game. Her insults never affected him and neither did her accusations. The only times she saw him pissed off was when her mother came into discussion, usually when Lili bad-mouthed her, and she wasn't about to do something like that.

But what stood out out of all her reasons…

–He made her _fear_.

And Lili couldn't forgive him for that.

* * *

An hour later, Lili was back in her apartment and halfway to getting blackout drunk.

She shuffled around her living area with a lit cigarette in her mouth and the unfinished bottle of whisky in her hand. There was a CD playing, Blues Saraceno, and Lili was just rocking in place to the tunes of dark country rock.

The bartender hugged the bottle close as she started throwing her head from side to side as a particular guitar riff started.

"Shit."

Lili stopped once the room started spinning with her and she almost tripped over the coffee table. Maybe she shouldn't move too much, she might just puke on the furniture.

Draining more of the bottle, Lili didn't care that she was getting smashed or that tomorrow she had work or that she hadn't slept in well over a day. She was going to chug that whisky down her throat until there was nothing more she could think of anymore.

Because that's what Lili wanted— to crawl in a black hole where there were no problems that she had to fix. Today had been a shitty day and she wanted to forget her mother and her disappointment in her, forget Shiki and his frightening appearance, forget work and her dumbass boss, forget Shinji and his antics, forget Blondie and his strength…forget her dead-end life.

And what better way to do that than getting shit face drunk.

As the song got more and more aggressive, Lili started turning round and round, faster and faster all the while drinking until she hit the line. The redhead stopped dead in her tracks.

"Ugh…"

Her vision swam as the room turned rapidly with her. She felt her brain ready to implode and her stomach churn like a boiling cauldron.

 _Oh shit._

Lili fell like a cut tree, unconscious before even hitting the floor. The bottle slipped out of her hand and rolled away, what was left of the alcohol spilling on the fuzzy carpet. The cigarette also fell on the floorboards away from the girl, extinguishing itself as it had no stimulus to keep the spark awake.

The redhead will be having a dreamless sleep tonight.

* * *

 _ **Foot Note:**_ So, did any of you see that one coming?

I read somewhere that Shiki is somewhere around or younger than 30 when he appears in the manga. Since at that time both Shizuo and Izaya were over 24 that would make Lili's mother much older than him. So, I'm gonna change Shiki's age a bit, making him older but still slightly younger than Bonnie.


	4. Quitting is for Losers

With a grunt, Lili pushed open the heavy doors of Neon Angels. Today was her shift and as per usual, she was twenty minutes late.

Hiking her backpack higher over her shoulder, Lili spotted Shinji chatting animatedly with the other bartenders and cocktail waitresses on the leather couches. From the way he was gesticulating it dawned on the girl that he was remaking the fight scene to a half interested crowd.

Lili deadpanned. _Can't he for once keep something to himself?_

"Hey." Lili lit up a cigarette as she waved at the Japanese bunch lazing around. They all greeted Lili in various shapes from enthusiasm to just a simple wave or just a snore. Half of them were still asleep, the other hung-over and some tired on their feet. "You all look like shit."

They grumbled and groaned and some even saluted her with one finger.

Lili motioned to Shinji to follow her. Jumping over the couch and a sleeping twenty-year old, the lanky youth stepped in stride with the redhead.

"Is _he_ here?" She whispered, her eyes already looking for signs of bleached blonde hair and extreme height.

"Haven't seen him yet." He frowned suspiciously before leaning over her and taking a deep sniff, disturbing the girl. "Have you been drinking?"

"Mind your own business!" She pushed his face away, flustered. She had woken up just an hour ago from her alcohol induced collapse and not even a shower had wiped the smell of whisky off her skin or the splitting headache. "Do you think—"

"Oi! You two!"

The loud unmistakable bellow had everyone, even the sleepers, rising to their feet with break-neck speed. Matsumoto was spying on them from the second floor, a glare making his eyes shine ferociously on Lili and Shinji. Everyone else scattered as the boss had no business with them.

The man descended the spiral staircase and Lili could hear the metal groan from his weight. "Lili, what did you do?"

"Huh?" The girl scrunched up her nose in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb!" Lili's boss reached the two and crossed his beefy arms, displaying the myriad of colorful tattoos on them. "That new kid just called me to tell me he's quitting. So, I'm asking again _nicely_ , what the fuck did you do?"

"I didn't do anything!" The bartender shouted indignantly. _Blondie quit?_ "Honestly!"

"Bullshit!" He spat. "Again, you scared off another employee of mine! And this time, it's gonna have repercussions!" A meaty finger pointed at her menacingly, making her stare at it cross-eyed. "I warned you not to do it, but you can't just help yourself, can you? You damn kids never learn, thinking you're all indestructible. I'm docking a month out of your pay."

"What?!" Lili's backpack slid off her shoulder as she stared in horrified shock at her boss. No money for a whole month? Was he crazy? "You can't do that!"

"Jyoushi, Lili hasn't done anything." Shinji intervened with his sweet smile, trying to diffuse the situation. "I swear it. I was with her the entire time Blondie was here. She barely talked to him."

"Shut up, Shinji!" The bartender recoiled as those laser-eyes shifted to him. "You two are like two peas in a pod, so I don't trust either of you."

Lili pressed her lips harshly, preventing herself from releasing the tirade that stood on the tip of her tongue. If she so much as peeped a word she would lose her job and she didn't want that. Angels was a familiar place and Lili didn't look forward to searching the market again for bartender vacancies. Besides, the staff was paid very _nicely_ here mainly because of the ones operating the club from the shadows.

So, Lili kept her mouth shut and listened through her boss's rant like a sponge.

"Set the bar up, right now!"

Matsumoto roared one last time before leaving them, muttering obscenities to himself.

"That son of a bitch!" Shinji spat once the man disappeared in the backrooms. "Just _one_ year. Just one more year and I'm _done_. I graduate University and I'm out of here."

Lili rolled her eyes as Shinji worked himself up into a frenzy. She pinched his arm to get his attention.

"Come on, Shinji." Gently, she dragged him to the locker rooms. He needed to calm down and Lili needed to get into her uniform.

As they entered the locker room that smelled of stale socks and bitter-sweet sweat, Shinji plopped down on the bench and sighed in frustration. While Shinji was having his little melt-down, Lili started undressing, unashamed that Shinji was there. He liked dicks not tits, so it didn't bother her. Besides, he was studying to become a doctor. He'll get to see plenty of naked men and women in the future.

"You alright, Red?" Shinji watched as his friend buttoned up her white shirt. She looked lost in thought and not her usual kind, but a dull one. Even her movements seemed mechanic.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Lili said softly as she threw the vest over her shoulders. "It isn't the first time that asshole yells at me."

She most _definitely_ wasn't okay, Shinji thought.

"It wasn't even your fault, dammit!" His lean leg kicked out and hit one of the metal lockers, making the girl wince as the sharp metallic crash accentuated her headache. "Why the hell did Blondie quit?"

"Because we saw what he can do, because he doesn't like this place, because he doesn't like us?" Lili enumerated a list of reasons as she arranged the small black bowtie around her neck. "How the fuck should I know? It could be any one of those or all."

Shinji must have had an epiphany from the way he was staring bug-eyed at her, Lili thought. "You think he got scared or something? That we know his 'big secret'?"

"You mean the one you were spreading around shamelessly not ten minutes ago?" Lili deadpanned at the high-spirited man. Shinji couldn't keep a secret if it meant saving his life. Not that he was a gossip, he just couldn't control himself.

"Look, I don't care, Shinji." Lili threw her bag in one of the lockers more aggressively than she had wanted to and closed the door with a loud thud. "The only thing I care about right now is that because of him I'm working for free for the next month. Thanks a lot, asshole."

* * *

For the next two days, Lili worked her ass off, but even the constant energy and exhaustion didn't take her mind off her lost money and the reason for it—Blondie. In fact, it just worsened with each hour.

Why did he just leave like that? It wasn't like either of the two bartenders would have called the police on him. Maybe Shinji was right and he got spooked, or maybe him leaving would spare Shizuo the need to explain.

After their shift was over, Lili said her goodbyes to Shinji and reached her apartment determinately. Since her thoughts on Shizuo wouldn't go away, she picked up her laptop and did some searching. Somebody like him wouldn't just go unnoticed. There had to be a newspaper article or something.

Half an hour into her search and nothing.

 _Shit._

Lili lit up the joint she bought off from one of her colleagues and picked up her cellphone, swiped into her contacts and called Shinji.

"Hello?" Shinji's voice was groggy from sleep.

"Shinji, what's your brother's school name?" Lili held her cell between her head and shoulder as her fingers stood poised over the keyboard.

"…Who is this?"

"Lili, dumbass!" The redhead rolled her eyes. Here she was wide awake after more than fifteen hours and Shinji couldn't even stay one hour after getting home awake. _Amateur._ "The name of the school, give it to me right now."

"It's Raira Academy."

"Thanks."

"Why—"

She hung up on him before he could even finish.

Her knuckles cracked with a sigh before her fingers moved over the pads with proficiency. This was going to require the only skill the redhead was actually proud of having groomed over the years.

Raira's website popped up and this is where Lili got to work.

She hacked into the dean's office computer and found a list of all the students past and present. The bartender found Shizuo's file with his home address, grades and a psychological file. Lili's curiosity peaked as she looked further into it. From the notes it seemed Shizuo had a history of physical altercations as well as destruction of the school's property. _Extensive_ and _costly_ damage.

But he was never arrested for it. There was no juvenile record in his file, not even a mention of calling the police.

 _Strange…_

Lili looked over the altercations part again—it seemed the majority of Shizuo's fights had been with one Orihara Izaya. Whoever that guy was must have done something horrible to the bleached blonde to have him gun after him like that.

Back stepping to the file, Lili continued reading until she reached several heavily underlined words.

Anger issues. Short temper. Explosive rage. Violent.

And the last and the most worrying, underlined and colored over with glaring neon yellow marker— _Approach with caution._

Lili swallowed thickly. Was Shizuo _dangerous?_

He beat up those guys sure, but those drunk assholes had been asking for it. They started it and Shizuo finished it, but this file said that Blondie was all around dangerous. How? He didn't show any signs when he was talking to her that night in the back alley of the club. Maybe he got annoyed too quickly, but he never once had a random physical outburst.

Shit, he even _saved_ her from that intoxicated idiot. So, he couldn't be bad, right?

Lili leaned back on the couch as smoke from her almost finished joint circled around her head. She felt good, but her heart was conflicted. She didn't exactly judge people on first sight so she couldn't agree with Raira's assumptions. At least not yet.

Her fingers tapped rapidly over the keys and soon she had Shizuo's home address.

Snuffing out her ganja roll, Lili changed out of her work clothes into a pair of faded blue jeans with several tears, a loose mauve blouse with short sleeves covered by a checkered black shirt. She slipped into a pair of short combat boots with silver studs on the front and picked up her leather jacket, neon framed sunglasses and purse.

Closing the door to her apartment, Lili strode unwaveringly high through the streets of Ikebukuro. The way she saw it, she was killing two birds with one stone. She wanted answers and she wanted her lost money back and Shizuo had access to both.

* * *

Lili stood in front of an average, suburban two-story house. This was the address on Shizuo's file and Lili froze on the welcome mat.

 _Fuck! What am I doing here?_

Money. Answers. Something like that.

 _Right, right._

Slapping her cheeks, Lili tried to stay as awake as possible ( _Goddamn, she was high! What the fuck was her colleague smoking? Crack?_ ) and knocked on the door. A minute later a forty something year old woman opened the door. She looked like she just woke up not ten minutes ago and Lili wondered what the time was.

 _Shit, too early for anyone to be making house visits._

The woman had light brunette hair fashioned in a short low ponytail with eyes the color of molten honey. Lili could see the faint wrinkles around her eyes and the prominent laugh lines. She was comely if not slightly above average looking, but her eyes were what captivated a person.

—They were _gorgeous_ and familiar.

"Hello." The woman looked confused at the foreign girl standing on her doorway. "May I help you?"

"Oh…Hi." Lili had expected Shizuo not what was probably his mother answering the door. She tried to smile politely and hoped to God she wasn't grinning like a dopey idiot. "I'm looking for Heiwajima Shizuo-san."

"That's my son. Are you a friend of his?"

"Sort of." Lili had to stifle the giggle that almost escaped her, but some of it leaked out unconsciously making her sound like a frog. _Fuck, I hope that mama Heiwajima didn't notice that!_ "I'm his work colleague and I need to see him. It's kind of important."

The woman's brow rose skeptically. "At seven in the morning?"

"Yeah…" _Is that how early it is?_ "I didn't really realize what the time was. Sorry for disturbing your dinner."

"Dinner?"

"Breakfast." Lili quickly covered. _Stay cool!_ "I meant breakfast."

"It's no problem, just a bit unusual." The woman eventually smiled lightly after staring strangely at the girl. She leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed. "So, you work with Shizuo? He's never told me about you, miss…?"

"Brodie Lilith." Lili smiled once again, showing a bit too much teeth. "People usually call me Lili."

"Lili…" The woman mused as she let her tongue roll over the syllables. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't pronounce the L, so instead her name came out as 'Riri'. "That's a pretty name."

Again, the bartender shifted on her feet. She knew that many Japanese had problems in pronouncing L since they didn't even have it in their vocabulary, so she was rather used to the disfigurement of her name.

"Well, Brodie-san, I'm sorry to say but my son doesn't live here anymore. He moved out a year ago."

 _Fuckin a'_. "Can you give me his address? I really need to talk to him and I don't have his phone number."

The woman looked her over and Lili had the distinct impression that the woman was seizing her up. Honey eyes landed on the sunglasses and the redhead seriously hoped that she wouldn't be asked to take them off. Lili could chalk up her red eyes to being awake for almost twenty hours, but then how could she explain the glaze.

"I can take you to him."

A pleasant male voice broke the silent duel between the two women, letting the younger one breathe in relief.

A boy, barely eighteen, appeared next to the older woman. He was dressed in a leather jacket, button-up black shirt, dark jeans and dark shoes. Lili could see the resemblance between the two and concluded that this must be Shizuo's brother.

"You're not staying to eat breakfast, Kasuka?"

The boy shook his head. "I already have food secure at the studio and I'm running late."

"Alright." The older woman moved slightly so the boy could pass her by. "Are you going to come home for dinner?"

He nodded, appeasing his mother. With a wave, he strolled out onto the very small front yard and passed the iron fence. Lili bowed politely and chased after the younger Heiwajima.

As they walked the morning Ikebukuro streets, Lili gave him a sideways glance.

He was very attractive, with dark brown hair and dark eyes, and his youth only made him even more striking. But what caught Lili's attention was the very, _very_ blank expression on his face. From the outside it looked like the lights were on, but nobody was home.

The girl had the sudden urge to clap her hands right next to his nose to see if he would even blink.

"So, you _can_ take me to him? I'm presuming you're his brother."

"Yes and yes." Even his soft voice was as monotonous as his face. He pulled a cell phone out of his pocket and dialed for a taxi. "I'm going to drop you off at his house since it's in my way."

"…Alright." _Weird kid._ In this day and age, there weren't many who just offered a helping hand to strangers.

His empty eyes remained on the girl, giving Lili a paranoid feeling. _Can he see past the glasses?_

"Do you usually walk around so high?"

"Fuck, you can see it?" She rubbed her cheeks furiously as if the effects of intoxicating could just be wiped off that easily.

"No, but the smell is rather strong and you're acting…" Kasuka watched as the redhead now pinched and stretched her cheeks, making her look like a cartoon character. " _Weird_."

Letting go of her cheeks, Lili had a sudden epiphany. "Did your mom notice?"

"She noticed something, just not _what_." He answered before talking into his phone.

Lili searched through her shoulder purse and found a small perfume bottle hidden somewhere deep in the recesses. With uncharacteristic enthusiasm, she started spraying any part of her body she could reach.

There was no change in the boy except for a small frown. The smell of weed and sweet floral perfume was absolutely _nauseating_.

"Look, weed helps me sleep, alright? I'm not some stoner that gets baked twenty-four seven." She explained as she shoved the bottle back into her purse, to be forgotten until the next time it was needed. "I just didn't anticipate getting out of the house so early."

The taxi arrived shortly and both teens were on their way to Shizuo's home. The younger Heiwajima seemed engrossed in writing messages on his phone while Lili seemed absorbed by the car seat's fabric.

 _Soft…_

"Why do you need to talk to my brother so urgently, Brodie-san?"

Lili's focus was back on the boy as he waited for an answer with those empty eyes watching her. _Creepy._

"Do you know where your brother works?"

He nodded. "Neon Angels."

"Yeah well, he just quit two days ago and I wanna know why."

A blink and a worried crease of his brows.

 _Finally_ , Lili thought. _Some actual emotion. I was starting to think he was some living mannequin._

"I didn't know that." His hands lowered until his phone ended up in his lap, forgotten for the moment. "I just talked to my brother yesterday and he didn't mention anything."

"Well he better talk to me, because I got my ass chewed out because of him." Lili eyed the boy strangely. She wondered if she should ask him. Maybe he could shed some light on this whole matter. "Can I ask you something?"

Kasuka nodded.

"Have you ever noticed anything _strange_ about your brother?"

"As in?"

The blankness in his eyes coupled with that naive question had the bartender drop the matter altogether.

"Never mind." She shook her head as she watched the outside world go by. "Forget I said anything."

Kasuka said nothing as he returned back to his phone.

Soon, the taxi stopped at a block of apartments near the cheaper parts of Ikebukuro.

"Here it is." He pointed towards one of the shorter buildings. "He lives on the second floor, apartment 5."

"Thanks for everything, Kasuka-san." Lili stepped out of the cab and waved goodbye at the younger brother.

"No problem. Tell my brother I said hello and that he should call me later."

Lili nodded as she arranged her purse and left for her intended destination.

* * *

 _Knock-knock._

Lili could hear the sound of a TV blearing. Beside the undecipherable Japanese talk, Lili heard heavy steps coming towards her.

"Who is it?" She heard Shizuo's deep voice from behind the door.

"It's Lili from work."

Pause.

The door opened a crack and Lili could see a honey-brown eye staring at her in confusion. "What're you doing here?"

"I think the better question is—Why aren't _you_ at work?"

"I quit."

"Yeah, I know." The girl snorted as she crossed her arms defiantly. "Jyoushi told me. Actually he accused me that you quit because of _me_."

The door opened fully and Shizuo's full figure appeared. He was dressed in a white T-shirt, grey jeans and black socks that had a hole in them. He looked even more bewildered and even a tad bit angry.

"Why would he say that?"

"Because he's an asshole." Like that wasn't a universal truth about bosses. "Look, come back to work."

"No."

"Why not?" Lili's hand rested against the doorframe. He was starting to piss her off. "Because you beat up those guys?"

The blonde winced. "What happened back then—"

Both turned almost simultaneously as a door opened. One of Shizuo's neighbors, an old woman, came out and shuffled slowly down the hall with a garbage bag in hand. She had one of the biggest, thick-framed glasses Lili had ever seen and the bug-eyed stare she was giving her had the bartender reel into paranoia and amusement in one roll.

As she walked down the hall, the woman would periodically turn her head towards them, no doubt waiting for something juicy to gossip over at the park.

Lili sucked in her lower lip to stop herself from laughing out loud. She just couldn't look at the woman without feeling a maniacal cackle bursting forth.

"Can we talk inside where that old biddy can't spy on us?"

Shizuo looked torn. He wasn't exactly comfortable with having someone over at his place, even if it was a person he knew somewhat. His brother had always been the only exception, but now a _girl_ wanted to come in.

With great reluctance, Shizuo stepped aside so his former colleague could pass his threshold.

"How did you know where I live?"

Shizuo asked once they stepped into his kitchen. His home wasn't anything special, just a small studio apartment. The kitchen came first, then a small living with an adjunct bathroom and a bedroom separated by a sliding panel.

"Your brother brought me here." The girl looked around before her gaze landed on a chair barely visible by the mountain of clothes.

The bleached blonde's cheeks flushed as the girl witnessed the disarray his apartment was currently in. It usually was a bit tidier, but he's had a rough couple of days.

"Can I get some water?" She asked as she took off her jacket and threw it onto the top of the mound. Before he could answer, she was already at the sink and drinking directly from the faucet with hungry gulps.

"Sure…" Shizuo watched her strange behavior with uncertainty. "Why were you at my house?"

Lili closed the handles and gave a satisfied sigh.

"It was the only address I found on you." The girl wiped her wet mouth with the sleeve of her shirt, unaware that most of the droplets slid down her throat and soaked her blouse. "Also, you brother wants you to call him later."

He nodded. Kasuka probably wanted to know why a girl came to his parent's ho—

Shizuo paused as a switched flipped in his brain. "Did you tell him I quit?"

"It came up." Lili took off her sunglasses and positioned them at the top of her wiry hair.

He cursed. Kasuka had been the last person Shizuo had ever wanted to find out, not after he went through all that trouble for him.

—The blonde was afraid of his brother's disappointment in him more than anything.

From his troubled expression and anxious gestures, Lili realized that she probably had made a mistake in speaking so candidly with Heiwajima junior. "Well, if it's worth it, he didn't seem upset."

There was a fifty-fifty chance she might be wrong because for the life of her she couldn't have read that boy even if she placed him under a microscope.

Suddenly, the need for water overcame all her sense and she attached herself to that faucet once again.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah." Lili coughed a little as some of the water slipped into her lungs. "Why?"

Aside from her thirst, red eyes and erratic behavior that seemed out of character—"You look _off_."

"I'm just high." She waved offhandedly.

The blonde's eyes widened as he looked at her anew. He hadn't known she was one of _those_ people. She didn't seem the type, but then again, Shizuo didn't really know what _they_ looked like.

"So, why won't you come back?" Lili crossed the room and settled on his couch, making herself at home.

Shizuo couldn't do anything but follow her and sit on a chair near the couch. He wouldn't sit next to her despite the empty space.

"I found something better."

"Bullshit." That had been the lamest excuse she ever heard. "Come on, man. Look, I don't know how you so easily wiped the floor with those guys and right now I don't care. The only thing I care about is you returning to work."

Shizuo slightly reeled back in shock. This is why she came here? He had thought that she had come for an explanation, for the truth of what happened that night. He had seen the look on her face—that mix between awe and fear that he has so accustomed to seeing. But there had been something else in there, something that made him doubt for a fraction of a second. An emotion he couldn't put a name on.

"Why?" Why go through all this trouble for _him_?

"Because Matsumoto decked my pay for a month because of _you_."

The momentary disappointment was swallowed by frustration and indignation.

"That's not my fault!" He rose from his chair, his deep voice resembling a lion's roar.

Shizuo cursed his impulsivity once he saw her lean back into the couch, clutching her purse in front of her defensively. With a heavy breath, he dropped back down onto the chair and avoided her eyes.

"…Well, it's Matsumoto's for jumping to conclusions." Lili relaxed in her seat, still slightly wary of him. "So, I'm thinking, if you rehire yourself and tell him _I_ brought you back, he might just pay me next month."

"I can't."

The girl huffed. "Look, Heiwajima. I need that money. I have bills I have to pay, plus I have stuff ( _weed_ ) I need to buy. Cash doesn't grow from trees like it does for some people, so every yen counts." She shifted closer to him, catching Shizuo's attention. "Right now, I don't give a damn how you managed to kick the shit out of those guys. I just want you to come back, so I don't have to miss out on rent again. _Please_."

He said nothing as he seemed more captivated by his cheap rug that had patches of burnt fiber than answering her. Lili made a sound deep in her throat as she shook her mane of red hair in irritation. She didn't have time for silence games.

"What are you so afraid of?"

Shizuo frowned as he finally found the courage to look at her.

"You _saw_ what I can do."

Lili shook her head. "I don't know what I saw and I told you I don't care—"

"You _should_." His lifeless fingers curled into tight fists. "What you saw is what I am. I can't control myself. My anger triggers it and the only thing I see when that happens, is red. And when I finally get a grip on myself, I'm in the middle of a wreckage and the people that pissed me off…they're on the ground, unconscious and with broken bones. And me…I don't even have a scratch." His feral eyes connected with her petrified ones. "Those guys I beat up, they got off _lightly_. It would have been much worse if they had only pushed me a little bit further and trust me, I would have been _glad_ if they had."

The redhead's mouth gaped open in shock. It jarred her. She felt like a brick had just fallen right in the middle of her stomach, weighting her down. Lili didn't know what to think anymore. She had never believed in the extraordinary before. It was always just a movie, a book, a video game or just pure imagination, but never real life.

And the way Shizuo was looking at her mirrored the truth. He had really thrown those guys around like ragdolls and bended that crowbar like it had been nothing.

—It had been real. All of it.

"What _are_ you?" There was nothing accusing or disgusted in her tone, just pure awe and Shizuo could see it in her glimmering eyes and eagerness to know the truth.

"I'm just _me_." Shizuo said plainly. He was no more and no less.

"There has to be more than that."

The blonde leaned back in his chair, feeling tired. "I don't know. This strength just happened out of the blue one day and I don't know how to turn it off. If I could get rid of it, I would." His expression contorted in shameful disgust. "I can't meet new people because every time I do, they realize what I am and hightail it as fast as possible. Why would they stay?" He snorted. "I can't even hold a job down for more than a few weeks. It's made my life a living hell."

"I'm…sorry." He heard Lili's small voice.

Shizuo looked confused. "For what?"

"That you have to live with this fear." Lili watched him sadly. Jesus, she hadn't thought Shizuo was _that_ upset over his strength, but the overwhelming wretchedness coming off him had her reacting empathically. "I can't even imagine how that must be like."

She had thought that his ability was a gift, but he seemed to view it more as a curse.

Shizuo lowered his head uncertain of how to respond to her. He's never had anyone apologize to him for what he couldn't control. Usually, people blamed and yelled at him for what he was. Kindness coming from somebody that wasn't his family was alien to him.

"You really have no idea where it came from?"

The blonde shook his head. If he had known, he would have done something about it by now.

As he peeked at her, Shizuo found himself irritated. She was watching him steadily and with a twinkle in her eye he'd only seen Shinra have.

"Stop looking at me like that."

Lili's lashes fluttered in confusion. "Like what?"

"Like I'm a freak." He scowled at her with his teeth showing. He could feel the black rage inside him ripple like a pool of water. "It's annoying."

"I'm not!" The girl got flustered as she tried to defend herself. She hadn't meant for him to think that of her. Lili was just curious; this wasn't an everyday occurrence to her. "I just think you're… _cool_." The tips of her ears burned faintly.

Shizuo pulled back in his seat, wide-eyed. He hadn't expected that as her words brought on a rosy hue to his cheeks. There was a fluster that wriggled in his stomach like worms on hooks and it had him squirm in his seat in uncertainty.

"Why do you want me to come back?" He asked quietly.

"Because it's a stupid reason for quitting your job!" She leaned forward, irate all of the sudden. "So what if I know? The others don't, only Shinji—" She paused as she remembered her colleague's little theatrical show that one time. "Well, I think the others know also, but they were pretty out of it so I don't think they'll even remember what Shinji said."

Lili pushed the stray locks of ginger hair behind her ear as she shuffled closer to the edge of the couch and smiled lightly at him. "You haven't done anything wrong, Heiwajima."

"What if I hurt you one day? Or one of the others?" He looked at her intensely. It was inevitable. It always was with him. "Because trust me, it's going to happen. Just like always." His voice lowered to a crestfallen whisper. "I don't want to hurt anyone."

Lili groaned in exasperation. It was like talking to a sad Teletubby that couldn't see past its one misery. Her intoxicated half wanted nothing more than to pet his golden hair and tell him that everything was alright, but the saner half wanted to shake him until his head popped.

"So, you're just going to, what? Live the rest of your life like a recluse?" She crossed her arms obstinately. "Even if you did hurt me, I don't think it would be intentional. You only beat up assholes, right? You beat up those guys because he threatened you and me. You're not a _bad_ person, Shizuo. Trust me, I've seen them. They all wear expensive suits."

She leaned back in the couch as her fingers played with the hem of her blouse. "Besides, why throw away a good job when you haven't even done anything? If you'd have destroyed Angels' property, then I would have understood, but you did nothing. We weren't even in the vicinity of it."

He was being too dramatic. Lili understood he was scared but to just leave everything behind was a bit of an overreaction.

"So, come back." She smiled lightly. "Make a new record. Hold onto this one for more than a few weeks."

Shizuo's fingers rubbed against one another. His mind was jumbled and after their talk, he didn't feel like saying anything anymore. He needed time to ponder her words. It wasn't as easy as she thought it was.

"I have to think about it."

Lili sighed as she knew she wouldn't get anything more than that from the blonde. She had tried to convince him as best as she could. Succeed or fail, she would have to wait for her answer. Lili really hoped her words had gotten through his skull.

"Uh…My next shift starts the day after tomorrow. If you decide to stay at Angels come then. Jyoushi won't send you away." Lili stood up from the couch as she picked up her purse and looked at Shizuo awkwardly. "I have to go."

She hadn't slept in over a day and she _really_ needed to get some shut eye.

"Which way are you headed?" Shizuo rose from his seat and scratched the back of his head. He had been on his way out when she knocked on his door and he guessed it wouldn't hurt to accompany her.

"Metro station."

"I could walk you there."

Lili grinned that dopey smile of hers. "Are you trying to be my knight again?"

"Don't call me that." He frowned. Shizuo wasn't the rescuer she jokingly thought she was and he wished she would stop saying that. "I just don't think you should be walking around high and I have to meet someone."

Some of that smile dimmed down and she was left simply staring at him tranquilly.

"Well, I won't say no to your offer."

* * *

The bell jingled as the door to the restaurant closed.

The teen practically stuffed his head inside the plastic bag and inhaled deeply. The smell of fatty tuna always brought a sense of heavenly delight to his taste buds and left his mouth practically watering.

He deserved a tasty meal. After the days invested in watching a business man going about his daily life and then having to blackmail said man with some juicy and nasty information he gathered on him, Izaya pampered himself to a day of relaxation and a job well done.

Walking the streets of Ikebukuro with a skip in his step, Izaya had actually wished he could have had an encounter with his most hated human. No, not human, monster. It would have made his day since he loved nothing more ( _second to his lovely humans_ ) than to taunt the blonde oaf.

As if on cue, maroon-red eyes spotted familiar canary-yellow hair.

It would be hard not to notice the tall teen towering over most of the population of Ikebukuro with the ever present frown on his face.

Izaya's smile turned more vicious than a hyena's as he changed course, silently slithering through the throng of people to reach his target. He wanted to surprise Shizuo, to see his shocked face melt into unforgivable fury. He loved seeing that, the transformation. The way his features contorted so expressively before shedding the human suit he tried to wear so desperately and finally showing his true colors as a rabid fiend.

Izaya froze solidly once the crowd parted just enough to let him _see_.

—There was a girl. Shizuo was walking side by side with a girl and this girl was actually _talking_ to him and not running away in terror.

Izaya felt the smile crack. How come he didn't he know about this?

Too many questions assaulted his pressured brain as the only thing he could do was watch Shizuo and the unknown girl lose themselves in the swarm of people.

But soon the undignified astonishment slipped off his face and the razor-sharp smile returned with a frenzied titter. Passer-by's looked at him oddly as he stood in the middle of the street laughing to himself like a crazy person.

His hand went to cover his mouth as he laughed coquettishly. Oh, this was hilarious. And this was _perfect_. A new toy to play with.

Izaya always did love to ignite new levels of rage within the beast. It was nothing short of _glorious_. And what better way to do that than mess with those close to him.

"And who might you be, miss?"

* * *

 _ **Foot Note:**_ Oh noes, Izaya is coming out to play. Lili, be brave, girl. Don't let the boogeyman scare you.


	5. Demon in Neon Lights

_**Author's Note:**_ I had fun writing this chapter, especially the last part of it. That was my favorite. I hope you enjoy it too!

* * *

Lili drank from her special coffee as she ate what was probably going to be the most nutritious breakfast (cornflakes) she'll have for the next month.

Her mind once again slipped back to the lumbering, blonde giant. Not even the sound of the news reporter could drown out her thoughts. The moment she woke up clear headed, Lili had done nothing but think of him. She tried to decode his thoughts as to where his answer was leaning towards—stay or leave.

It didn't matter pondering on 'what if's' as tomorrow she would learn definitely if Shizuo will come back to work or if she will have to resort to dipping into her reserve cash.

Lili grimaced as the prospect of that had her stomach clench. She didn't want to touch that money since that was in case of emergency. _Actual_ emergency not some delayed rent pay.

Just as she was about to lit up a cigarette to calm her frazzled nerves, the doorbell rang.

Hastily, she muted the pink TV. With bewilderment at who would knock on her door at this early hour, she tip-toed towards it. If it was some door to door salesman, she did not want to make her presence noticeable.

The peep hole gave her insight on who her unwanted guest was.

With a huff, the redhead opened the door and came face to face with Shinji, annoyance written all over his face, holding takeout food in a plastic bag.

"You know, yesterday I had the craziest dream. I dreamed that someone woke me up at eight in the goddamn morning, just one hour after I managed to shut my eyes after being awake more than eighteen hours and asked me for my brother's school name."

Lili leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed as she listened to Shinji's dramatic reenactment.

"So, after being the good Samaritan and giving out this piece of information to this ungrateful person, they just shut the phone in my face! No explanation, no nothing." His eyes narrowed theatrical on the redhead. "They didn't even answer the phone after I woke up, despite me calling a _dozen_ times."

"Sorry." But her apology was overshadowed by the fact that she couldn't keep a smile from showing on her face.

"Uh-huh. Tell that to someone that doesn't know you." Shinji was unimpressed with her amusement and quirked his brow superciliously. "So, are you going to tell me why you called me in such an unseemly fashion and what the hell are you up to?"

Dark blue eyes landed on the plastic bag. There was a delicious aroma wafting from it, making Lili's mouth water.

"Only if you give me some of that food." Anything was better than milk and stale cereals.

The man snorted. "Why do you think I brought it? You're going to be _poor_ for the next month. I might as well try to feed you. Can't have you living on cigarettes and crackers. That would just be _cruel_."

Lili smiled openly as she was truly grateful to have such a friend. They may bump heads on occasion and argue, but she knew she could count on him when she was in trouble and vice-versa.

"Thank you, Shinji."

The man's eyes widened as he leaned closer, his hand cupping his ear in gesture. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear that right. Can you say that again?"

The girl sucked in her lips as she kept herself from laughing. With a flamboyant curtsy, Lili recited. "Thank you, oh great doctor, for thy bounty on this poor, lost soul before you."

Shinji straightened out and smiled triumphantly.

"You're welcome."

They both start chuckling at their silliness. Sometimes a little bit of laughter was all that someone needed to brighten up their day.

Moving to the side, Lili made way for lanky youth to enter her abode. Placing the bag on the kitchen table, Shinji plopped down on one of the chairs. Lili took out the food and was surprised to find two cans of lemon flavored beer.

Shinji shrugged. "It's five o' clock somewhere."

The two bartenders dug in their food as they clank their beer cans with a jovial 'kampai'.

"So, wanna tell me what you're up to?"

Lili licked her fingers before rising from the table and going in her bedroom. A moment later, she came out with her laptop and placed it in front of Shinji. Navigating through her drive, she opened the folder with the copies she made on Shizuo's files.

"Fuck, Lili. You hacked into the dean's computer?" He gave her an exasperated look. "I told you to stop doing that shit. You can get arrested!"

"I was careful." Shinji really needed to stop worrying about her ventures into cyber hacking. She knew how to cover her tracks and she didn't poke her nose into more secure sites. "Besides, I doubt the guy realized what a hacked computer looks like."

The soon-to-be-doctor racked his fingers through his hair as he sighed. It always freaked him out when people he knew got involved in shady situations, especially if he became associated even if it was by awareness of the event. He preferred to remain ignorant of any illegalities. He was going to be a doctor, for Kami's sake!

"What did you find out?" But as always, his curiosity got the better of him.

"Look for yourself."

It didn't take long for Shinji to become engrossed in his reading. As minutes passed, his food got increasingly colder as it remained forgotten.

"'Explosive rage'? Holy shit…" The man leaned away from the laptop as if it were about to jump up and bite him. "I'm starting to be grateful Blondie quit."

"I went to see him." Lili announced as she chewed on her breakfast.

That startled Shinji. "You did what?"

"I asked him to come back."

The bartender's mouth opened in stupefaction.

"And I hope he does."

"Why!" Shinji exploded once he found his voice.

"Because it didn't seem right for him to quit because of an impulse." The girl put her chopsticks down as she took a sip from her beer. She really didn't understand why Shinji was so against it.

Hazel eyes narrowed in clear-headed realization. "…You're trying to bone him, aren't you?"

Some of the frothy beer spewed out of her nose as she choked on it. Lili started coughing as the liquid went down through all the wrong pipes.

"What?!" She bellowed through teary eyed coughs.

"Oh, come on! I would too!"

Lili cleared her throat as she wiped the tears from her eyes and pointed an accusatory finger. "Unlike you, you manslut, I don't sleep with everything that has a dick!"

"How dare you, I have standards!" Shinji gasped aghast but it didn't take long for a sly grin to give him the appearance of a fox. "I only sleep with the _pretty_ ones."

Lili rolled her eyes at the other's lechery.

"Shinji, I'm trying to help him and myself at the same time." The redhead tried to explain as simplistic as possible. "This way I don't have to feel bad that he quit because of us and I get my next paycheck."

"You think Matsumoto will give you the money if he goes back? Fat chance of that happening." Shinji scoffed as he started eating from his meal and soon grimaced at the coldness of it. It was like eating a dead animal. "There's one thing that man hates and that's giving money away, even if it is for his employees. _Especially_ , if it's an employee he kinda hates. I'm still amazed that jyoushi hasn't fired you yet. Anyone else would have."

Lili shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Matsumoto couldn't fire her because of who her step-father was. Shinji wasn't aware of her family connection to _him_ and she preferred it that way. The redhead had learned early that whenever someone realized who Shiki was, they would always start acting strange. They either distanced themselves or were very careful with their chosen words, but sooner or later they also disappeared from her life.

—She didn't want to lose Shinji.

"He will give me my money because he won't have a reason to hold it from me if Shizuo comes back. He _has_ to."

Shinji didn't seem convinced as he drank from his beer. "Whatever, Red, but I'm not working with Blondie. I'm gonna have to change places with one of the others and I suggest you do too."

"Oh come on, Shinji." The girl threw her hands in the air, annoyed. "Don't be such a pussy."

The man in question glowered at her. "I'm not, but you saw what he did! What's stopping him from doing that to us?"

Lili's anger deflated as she remembered Shizuo's embarrassment and disgust at his strength.

"He's not a monster…"

"Why, because you talked to him _once_?" The novice doctor waved her off as he rolled his eyes exasperatedly. "I talked to my brother yesterday and he told me to stay as far away from Heiwajima. And he meant _literally_ far away because the guy can apparently throw vending machines at a surprising distance with perfect accuracy. People that are capable of doing that are not harmless bunnies. They're actually the ones that eat the motherfucking lion."

"I don't believe that." Lili knew Shizuo wasn't harmless. It would be stupid on her part to think otherwise, but that didn't make him some animal.

Shinji made a disapproving sound in the back of his throat. "What the hell is wrong with you? You're the first in line to stay away from violent people. So, what's with the nun act?"

Lili stared fixatedly on coffee brown eyes. There was something in those night sky orbs that had Shinji on alert. She was searching for something with a borderline intensity that had the man shift uncomfortably.

"When I came to Angels you _all_ thought I was a stuck-up brat from a rich family who looked down on everyone. It was even worse when you thought I was promoted to bartender after a month of barbacking because my rich _daddy_ threw money at Matsumoto." Lili still got a bitter taste in her mouth every time she thought about those times. Some of the others had started hazing her because they thought she believed she was above them, when in reality she was just trying to stay out of trouble. Shinji was the only one that repelled them until Lili finally grew some backbone and pushed the others back, asserting a place in the group. "But, you approached me and even after I pushed you away, you still stuck around. Why?"

The man bit the inside of his cheek as their conversation took a downturn into more poignant matters. It had been some time since he thought about those days, but he still remembered the first time he saw Lili.

"Because I could see that past that angry façade of yours was a very _lonely_ person." Just a young girl with no idea what she was getting into by taking a job in the club scene. It didn't help that she gave a cold shoulder to anyone who approached her, giving off the impression that she was conceited. "So, it was my duty as doctor and as a very generous and compassionate guy to befriend you."

Lili's face settled into a dead stare. "I was a charity case?"

"More or less." He snorted as he saw the girl's scowl. "Oh come on, Red. I thought you were a fun person to be around once you got out of that teenage rebellion shell of yours."

"Well then, that's what I think about Shizuo. I think he's lonely and having someone or _ones_ might be good for him. I know what it's like being alone so I can relate to him. He's just afraid of hurting anyone, Shinji. He has a conscious."

The man sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose in vexation. "You're gonna be the death of me someday."

This wasn't like Lili at all. Most of the time, she didn't even notice if a new employee came along, but she _noticed_ Shizuo. She saw something other than his appearance and it moved her deeply. While Shinji still though she was trying to get a quickie from Blondie, he respected Lili's decision.

" _Fine_. If he comes back I'll try to see what you do, but if he tries to hit me, even with a pinky finger, I'm calling five-o." And Shinji always kept to his word.

Lili beamed lightly. "Thanks, fairy."

"You're welcome, tomato head."

* * *

Next day around evening, Lili pushed past the doors of Neon Angels. She approached the main bar as she eyed just the person she wanted to talk to.

"Hey, Suzuki!"

The man with gelled spiky hair turned and smiled toothily at the girl. "Yo, Red. What can I do for ya?"

What he could do was stop smiling because Lili was seconds away from elbowing him in the face.

"What the fuck was that joint rolled out of? That wasn't just weed. My buzz lasted almost ten hours!"

She had been really freaked out by her prolonged high. Lili hated when drugs suspended her in a state of paranoia, hearing things and euphoria. That was not her idea of a good time.

The bartender, Suzuki, cackled jovially. "It was some of my own mixture."

"Jesus, man. Warn me next time!" She threw some black straws at him in irritation. "I was looking to relax not feel like I was on an acid trip without the hallucinations."

Suzuki lit up a cigarette as he keenly eyed the girl up and down. "Hey, if you want more you can always come to me, Red. And we can always talk about _how_ you can pay for it, I'm a flexible guy."

She gave him the finger as she left the bar. His laughter stayed with her until she reached the second floor.

"Asshole…"

Sleep with the guy once and he thinks she'll do it again. Even she wasn't _that_ desperate.

Lili spied Shinji on one of the couches, smoking a cigarette and buttoning away on his cellphone.

"Has he shown up?"

The doctor leaned his head back as he stared at her upside down. He gave her a thumbs down.

Uncertainty had her shuffle from one foot to the other. "Well, there's still time."

Shinji's visible skepticism was enough to lower her morale.

"Lili!"

Both snapped to attention as they saw Matsumoto's head sticking out from the partially open door of his office.

"Come in here."

Lili cursed under her breath. _What the hell was he going to accuse me of now?_

She passed her backpack to Shinji as she strolled towards her boss's office with the same liveliness as of hangman's future victim. With one last apprehensive look at her colleague, the girl shut the door and sat in the chair opposite the man's desk.

Matsumoto had a lavish office. Leather couches, leather chairs, padded walls, a cabinet filled with liquor bottles, a huge desk of rare wood, crystal drinking glass and even some fish tanks lined up against the wall. Lili could see the multicolored species of fish all swimming content in the water. They were well taken care of as the fish had houses and fake algae providing them plenty of places to hide. There were even small treasure chests and plastic mermaids with huge breasts.

The man _loved_ his fish.

Matsumoto lit up one of his scented brown cigarettes, never once taking his eye off Lili. Right now, he reminded her of a fat, bushy owl.

It took some pains to keep a straight face after that thought.

"I got a call yesterday from that Heiwajima kid. Said he was wrong for quitting and that he wants to come back. Naturally, I told him that he was welcome." He plucked his cigarette from his mouth as he exhaled nauseating vanilla flavored smoke. "We need the numbers, but my question is—Was this _your_ doing?"

"Yeah." Lili shifted in her seat as she clasped her hands in her lap. "I convinced him to come back."

Seconds ticked by.

Matsumoto breathed in heavily as his attention never waivered.

"You think this absolves you?"

She shrugged. Lili just wanted her money back. "You don't have a reason anymore to keep my paycheck away."

"I could for your past misbehaviors. You'd _deserve_ it." The man flicked his cigarette of ash, missing the momentary glare sent his way by the girl. "Maybe it would finally make you realize that hanging by Shiki-dono's coattails won't help you forever."

Fingers dug into the material of her jeans, a sparkling rage thundering right down into her fingertips. "I _never_ relied on that man for anything."

"And yet, you still think it gives you the right to do anything around here." He snorted disbelievingly. She was the same brat as the day she walked in here. "Now, I can't fire you. It would be an insult to Shiki-dono and, unlike you, I understand duty and respect and _gratefulness_."

 _Blah blah blah. Old men prattle._

Lili didn't care about lectures. If he started that again, she swore she would tune him out just like last time. That is if she could keep herself awake long enough.

"Now, get out of my office." He dismissed her sternly.

"But what about my money—"

"You'll get your money, but not because I want to." He waved her off, his brows almost meeting from the heavy glower. "Get out and prep the bar!"

Lili didn't wait to be told a second time as she dashed out. Once the door closed, she beamed ecstatically. She wasn't going to starve on crackers and cigarettes. She will have money! Shizuo was coming back!

 _Yes!_

Lili gave Shinji a subtle thumbs-up as she tried not to skip to him in happiness. She was weary of the many cameras propped around the place and since Matsumoto had access to the cameras via his computer, it wouldn't do good to start gloating.

As she passed the balustrade, a yellow dot caught her attention. Looking down from the second story, her eyes landed on the one thing that could double up her joy.

—Shizuo Heiwajima was walking the length of the club with a backpack over his shoulder.

As if feeling her, his eyes gazed up and met hers. Shizuo paused in his step as he nodded in greeting, albeit an awkward one. The girl didn't seem to notice as she bit her lip and saluted back with two fingers against her temple.

Once her eyes lost sight of him, the girl let the flutter in her heart turn into a smile.

* * *

The club was packed with people.

Shinji, Lili and Shizuo had a lot of work to do as wealthy patrons were actually screeching after them. The alcohol was flowing so fast that Shizuo had had to make several trips to the storage room for new bottles.

Case in fact, he left just now after several cases of beer.

Lili's good mood had chilled down since seeing Shizuo again and now everything seemed in place. She tried to enjoy the night and not let the patrons annoy her with their impatience to get stupidly drunk.

As the redhead turned to pick up a bottle, she made eye contact with a man sitting at the bar. No, not man, but a guy her age with a wide smile on his face. Lili froze with the vodka bottle in hand as, for just a moment, she thought she saw his eyes burn bright crimson. It startled her enough that it gave her heart a jolt, but then she rolled her eyes at her own overreaction.

The stranger lifted a finger and crooked it in a 'come-here' motion.

Walking over to him, Lili plastered on the faux smile she gave all her customers. "What can I get you?"

The man's smile was without waver as he stared fixatedly at her. It reminded Lili of a mannequin and wondered if maybe he was on some kind of drug.

"Did you hear—"

"Can I get a water, please?" She heard his calm tone through the blear of the speakers.

"Sure."

The man pulled some yen out of his wallet and dropped them on the bar counter once Lili gave him the bottle and a glass.

"I don't need the glass." He said as he watched the bartender place the opened water in front of him.

Lili frowned slightly as he made no move to drink from it. He just stared at her with that smile, completely ignoring his drink.

Something about this situation suddenly had her hackles rise. She didn't understand why, but she attributed it to her gut instinct. In this business you come upon all sorts of crazies that prey on young men and women alike. An overcrowded club was the ideal hunting ground since nobody would notice or hear a person in distress. Too much alcohol gave freedom to inhibition and everybody just wanted to have fun, not care about their dance neighbor possibly being drugged and kidnapped.

And right now, Lili felt like prey and the guy in front of her the hunter.

She made a move to leave, but a hand on her arm stopped her. The place where his fingers lightly gripped her arm gave her a shudder. She did not want a stranger putting his hands on her, especially not some drugged-up yuppie.

"What's your name, _gaijin_?" He spoke in the same calm tone, oblivious to her attempt at shaking off his hand. "Haven't seen you around before."

"I guess you've never frequented this club before then." Lili tried to keep her smile as friendly as possible, but the continuous tangible connection had her on the verge of contorting into a glower. "I've worked here for two years."

"Really? I must have missed you." He titled his head curiously. "You have quite a mastery of the Japanese language. It's almost like I'm talking to an actual native, if they had red hair and blue eyes."

 _How the hell can he see the color of my eyes in this darkness?_

"Th-Thanks." Her tone waivered for a second and she swore the man's smile widened minusculy before he finally let go, to the girl's immense relief.

The man arranged his hands over the bar-top, interlocked in a professional manner. "Are you one of those westerners that come here for the Japanese experience? Mangas, cosplays, conventions and all that jazz?"

"No, I'm not an _otaku_. I'm sorry, but I have to get back to work."

Lili turned to leave, thankful that she was getting away from the weirdo. The abrupt laughter had her stop cold. With wide, startled eyes she gazed at the man as he laughed loudly and unrestrained. Even the people around him stopped in their dance or conversation to stare at the man that was seemingly laughing by himself.

It wasn't a normal laugh, Lili thought in dread. It was high-pitched and obviously fake with a tinge of maniacal frenzy that had the blood freeze in her veins.

Just as abruptly as the laugh started, it ended.

"Okay, you caught me." He smiled again with his hands up in surrender. "This is my first time here. I _lied_. I was just trying to be cool in front of a pretty girl."

Lili couldn't even be bothered to smile at the compliment.

"What is your name?"

"You can see it on the tag." The bartender responded frigidly.

The stranger leaned over the counter far too close to her liking as he eyed the small metal tag on her chest.

"Lili, like the flower." His eyes closed happily as he sing-songed. "~ _Cute.~_ "

At this point, Lili was seconds away from being completely freaked out. Something was definitely _wrong_ with this guy and she just couldn't seem to get away from him.

Her eyes searched for her male colleagues. Shinji was on the other side of the bar far too preoccupied with his clients to notice if something went wrong on her end and Shizuo was nowhere to be seen. He was most likely still busy looking for the crates.

Spidery fingers returned to her wrist and squeezed for attention.

Lili whipped round with lighting speed as her heart settled in her throat.

"Who are you looking for?" The stranger's smile sharpened. "You don't like talking to me?"

The girl tried to shake his hand off again, but he just tightened his grip. As the club's light reflectors moved around the vast room, they created patterns of multicolored hues—a kaleidoscope of colors enveloping every person in a palette of red and blue shades. The man in front of her seemed to attract only the passionate red beams of light as they gave him the appearance of a devil with shiny crimson eyes.

Lili was _afraid_.

"You looked like you spaced out for few seconds there." His fingers dug into her porcelain skin and Lili could feel the coolness of a ring against her skin. The ever present smile dimmed into a thin line and Lili thought it made him infinitely more disturbing. "It's not nice to just ignore someone, you know. Makes them feel unappreciated."

Suddenly, the grip loosened and Lili ripped her hand away almost as if burned. His sudden grim outlook split into a wide grin. This one was different, though. Before, it just had been eerie, now it was just downright unnatural.

"Hey, you wanna know my name?"

"No." Lili wanted nothing to do with him.

"Oh, come on." His fingers tip-toed on the counter towards her side which only made her take a step back and away from his reaching range. "Why not?"

"I have to go."

He pouted immaturely. "But I want to order something else."

"You haven't even touched your water yet." The bottle was still in the same place as before, accumulating dust.

"That doesn't mean I don't want to order again."

"I'll get my colleague to serve you."

Once again, he seized her hand before she could step away and, this time, he was _crushing_ her wrist.

"Are you _scared_ of me?"

He was mocking her. That derisive tone he was using further rattled her nerves and she was seconds away from picking up a bottle and hitting him over the head in defense. She felt like she was under attack right now.

"Let g-go of my h-hand." Her voice waivered terribly. Lili was minutes away from tearing up and she didn't want that to happen because of some crazy bastard.

The man's grin sharpened until his white teeth showed. His eyes narrowed further until there was nothing left but wicked slits. He seemed to be enjoying the girl's distress and quickened pulse.

That flash of bright red was back, basking them in Hell's color and Lili felt a cold sweat trickle down her back. She tugged on her hand urgently, but his fingers were like snakes wrapped around her wrist, stopping the blood from flowing. Lili whimpered as she tried to pry him off her by sinking her nails into his skin, but it didn't seem to affect him as he just chuckled. The stranger was laughing like someone witnessing the act of a naughty child.

"You're a _funny_ girl."

Just as Lili tugged significantly harder, he let go of her unexpectedly sending her into the rafter behind her. The bottles jingled and clanked against one another as some of the patrons watched either in surprise, worry or amusement at her slip and fall. The redhead stared in alarmed disbelief at the grinning man and rapidly pulled herself together and scrambled towards her colleague.

As she reached Shinji, she saw from the corner of her eye Shizuo duck behind the counter and enter the bar with the cases of beer.

Taking a hold of her friend's arm, she pulled him out of a conversation with an average Joe.

"Oi!" Shinji looked peeved but soon his irritation turned to concern as Lili looked positively _terrified_. "What the fuck?"

"Shinji, can you take that guy's order?" She pointed behind her with a shaky thumb.

"Who's?"

Lili turned around and found no sign of the strange man, his bottle of water left untouched on the bar.

"I…" The redhead mumbled as she blinked rapidly. "He was just there."

"Not anymore." Shinji caught her shoulder and looked her square in the eye. "Hey, are you alright? Do you need to take a break?"

The girl stared at him undecided but with a reassuring squeeze from Shinji, Lili took a few deep breaths and steeled her nerves. The stranger was gone. He couldn't hurt her anymore.

She nodded and her colleague let her go after another affectionate squeeze. Lili returned to her station, but her gaze kept searching for wide grins and demonic red eyes.

"You looking for something?"

Shizuo's deep voice had her jump in her place. Lili placed her hand on her heart to keep it from jumping out of her chest.

"There was a guy at the bar, but I guess he left."

Shizuo's dark brow rose in question. "You don't seem upset about it."

"I'm actually glad he did." Lili clutched her arms defensively. She could still feel a throb in her wrist from where he held her forcefully. "He was a fucking creep."

Soon after she calmed down, the redhead got back to preparing drinks and laying out shots as the bleached blonde filled the fridges and cleaned the glass.

The night would continue on as usual and it would have been just another Friday night if it weren't for the pair of maroon eyes hidden within the crowd, watching and cataloging the redhead and blonde's every move.

The grin never once left Izaya's lips.

* * *

 _ **Foot Note:**_ Izaya is a creepy little fucker when he wants to be, am I right? What will he do next?

Shizuo's back to work and Lili seems content with it. But will that feeling last, especially when dark clouds are brewing?


	6. Invitation into the Rabbit Hole

_**Author's Note:**_

To **NataLEEa** – I can understand your excitement. I'm all for creepy Izaya and things are gonna get even darker as the story progresses.

To **Wavywavy** – I like Shinji also! He's just the right kind of funny, caring and flamboyant. I actually loosely based him on a friend of mine, so that means I pretty much have the real Shinji by my side. Kudos for me I guess. Also, you're welcome for having fun on the chapter. I hope I keep that up.

To **Sessho's Girl** – As the author, I don't really think Shiki is a bad person per se, but the story is written from Lili's perspective and she _doesn't_ have a good impression of him. But then again, she does have a valid point—the man is yakuza no matter how you look at him.

* * *

Lili murmured disgruntled as she pushed the cart in the supermarket with little interest. The products on the shelves were either too expensive or not to her taste. Right now, her cart contained a plethora of cheap junk food, soda, alcohol and frozen chow. She had once tried cooking a healthy meal, but it backfired so badly that the food caught fire and the corners of her kitchen walls were now permanently black.

The sound of a familiar guitar riff had her checking the caller ID—Shinji.

She had a few hours until their shift started, so what was so important that her fellow bartender had to call her now instead of waiting.

"Yo."

"So, where do you want to go out?"

Lili's face contorted in slight confusion. "The fuck are you talking about?"

"We agreed to go out clubbing, remember?" Shinji sighed on the other end as he realized the redhead had forgotten yet again. "I'm thinking The Swallow or the Flying Parade or—"

The girl stopped the cart as she remembered their talk in the locker room. "Oh my God, you were actually serious."

"Of course I was, fool." He chided crisply. "And before you say you didn't, you already agreed to it, Red. No take backs, sorry! So, get your party suit ready, smoke as much MJ as you can and let's boogey!"

Lili rolled her eyes. The thought of going out and inhaling a large amount of alcohol ( _while very tempting_ ) and making an idiot of herself ( _not so tempting_ ) was a double-edged blade, Lili knew that a night on town would be just what she needed. When she wasn't at Angels, she was cooped up in her apartment and it was starting to get ripe.

She might as well comply with Shinji's demands.

"Bar hoping."

"Hmm?"

"Let's go bar hoping then. All our usual spots." Lili couldn't remember the last time she'd visited her haunts. Probably two months or so ago.

"Excellent idea!" The man chirped. "How about tomorrow? We're off labor anyway. Might as well do it then."

"Sounds like a date."

"You're not gonna regret this, Red. We're gonna have the time of our lives!" He paused. "Can you get the stuff?"

"No, my 'friend' is out of town." Lili had tried calling him several times, but he was adamant on not answering. Whatever boiling pot he dipped his toe in must have scared him off from Tokyo for a while. "We're gonna have to hunt for one at the clubs."

"Fuuuuck…" Shinji drawled as he already dreaded the effort needed to find quality narcotics, not the shitty, placebo ones. These were the times where he wished his own dealer hadn't found God after an overdose and went all 'Repent your sins!' on everyone. "I _hate_ doing that. What if he's an undercover narco?"

"I'm sure police have better things to do than catch teenagers sniffing glue."

"You'd think. We're actually the easiest targets for them to get promotions off of."

The girl scoffed. "We'll be fine, Shinji. I'll do the buying so your precious reputation doesn't get spotted with your University. There's nothing for you to fear."

"That's not why I don't want to do it!" Shinji screeched indignant. "I just don't like to!"

"If you say so." Her friend had every right to be reluctant. Most people were, but Lili had no such reservations. She's been in the holding cell before because of this and knew that she could get away again scot free. If her step-father was any good at anything it was giving her a 'get-out-of-jail-free' card and Lili took advantage of it thoroughly ( _it was also a great way of pissing him off_ ). "Look Shinji, I'm at the beauty parlor right now and the ladies are getting anxious to get to my toes."'

"Since when the hell do you go to—"

Lili shut her phone and pocketed it.

A part of her really didn't want to go out, a reflex of her sometimes slothful ways, but refusing Shinji was like refusing a hurricane. He would just sweep her off her feet and drop her in the nearest bar with the drink already ready on the counter.

He was quick like that.

Lili really hoped she wouldn't wake up in some strange guy's bed again like last time with fuzzy memories of the night before. She really hated doing the walk of shame and it didn't help that she had been in a men's dormitory at a University. You can imagine the wolf whistles and calls she had gotten that morning.

This night had to be better and for that to happen she needed to swear off guys. They were the immediate problem. They made her mind all muddied-up and caused her to do dumb things.

She really hoped that she would be able to keep her promise.

* * *

Lili walked out into the back alley of the club. She was lightly buzzed as some patrons decided to drink flaming shots with her. Unfortunately, they couldn't keep up with an experienced drinker and bowed out quickly.

She had left Shinji to tend bar himself since the commotion had died down as people realized that they were just a few hours from the sun rising and they were still dancing in a darkened club. The night was finally coming to an end.

Outside, she inhaled deeply the smell of fresh air mixed with the sweetly-putrid aroma of garbage. Say what you want but it was better than the noxious fumes of nicotine and sweat inside.

As she approached her usual spot hidden behind the crates, she found another pair of legs peeking out from behind the boxes.

"Hey."

Lili almost tripped on some cardboard boxes as she saw Blondie. _Where did they come from?_

Resuming her path towards him, she did a better job at keeping herself stable in her walk. "Blondie, do you have a ciggi?"

"A what?"

"Cigarette. Cancer stick." She enumerated nonchalantly. "Do you?"

Shizuo rummaged through his pockets and produce a slightly crumpled cigarette, but Lili didn't mind ( _or she just didn't notice_ ). She lit it up with relief and dropped down on the beer case, only the force she used cracked it in two. With a yelp, Lili fell backwards on her ass with her legs straight up in the air.

"Oops! Buwahahaha!"

Shizuo stared wide eyed at the girl on the ground, reminding him of an upside down turtle that was struggling to get back on its feet and failing miserably. With a sigh at the strange picture, Shizuo helped the bartender get to her feet and the bartender in question decided to cling to him like a baby koala to its mother.

"You're warm for a giant." Her cheek was mashed against his chest in dazed stupor, feeding off the warmth he was emanating.

"Thanks?" The blonde man stood awkwardly with his arms in the air as he was at a rather big disadvantage on how he should proceed. Shizuo's never had a girl cling to him before as they usually ran away screaming or cowered in fear.

Should he take her hands off him or maybe hug her back? He really was at a loss.

But Lili spared him the grief as she disentangled from him and gave him a cheeky smile before stealing his crate. As his place of respite was now taken, Shizuo decide to stay for a little while. He might as well finish his own cigarette before going back inside.

Lili got to work on her bowtie and let it hang around her neck. Next came several buttons of her shirt, releasing her neck from the constant constraint of her shirt's neckline. It was too warm and she felt like suffocating.

"You know…I'm _really_ relieved you showed up for work." She smiled at him dizzyingly as her cigarette dangled between her lips. "For a minute there, I thought you chickened out."

"I thought it over and you were right, I shouldn't leave this job. I get paid well and, besides, my brother went through too much trouble to get it for me." Smoke billowed from his nostrils as he remembered her reason for wanting him back. "Did you get your money back?"

"Yeah, Matsumoto actually saw reason." Lili crossed her arms as she eyed him curiously. "What do you mean your brother got you this job?"

"Kasuka called me one day and said he found work for me. He's the reason I'm at Angels in the first place."

Ginger brows rose in surprise. "How did he manage that? What is he, eighteen?"

"Seventeen, and he's a model."

"No shit." Well, the boy certainly fit the model type. He was handsome enough, but that still didn't explain the _how_. "Does he know someone here?"

"He didn't tell me."

Lili narrowed her eyes as she thought on how a seventeen year old without connections to the Awakusu-kai managed to get his older brother inside one of their locations. The girl made a mental note to cyber search into the little brother and his known associates. The modeling world was insipid and vain in her mind, but Lili knew the yakuza's reach was vast.

"You know, not many people get the chance to work at Angels. Jyoushi has a strict policy—no outsiders welcomed among the staff. You wanna get hired at Angels, you have to know someone on the inside and then you're immediately held accountable for that person if they do something _stupid_. That's why not many take that chance, so we're always understaffed and the majority of the people here are in for the long haul."

"Why?"

Lili smirked elusively. "There are _certain_ things that make this place notorious."

"Like what?"

"Let me put it this way. If shit goes down _inside_ the club, our job is to keep quiet. You didn't see anything, you didn't hear anything, you don't know anything."

Shizuo appeared uncertain as he digested her ominous words. What did he get himself into now?

"Don't worry, you'll see one day." She playfully winked at him. "So, tell me about your brother. Is he famous or something?"

"Not yet. He just got discovered recently, but his manager thinks he will be."

"Heh, I never met anyone almost famous. Must be exciting."

Shizuo shrugged. He wasn't so interested in modeling, so he didn't really know anything about it. "Kasuka has his own thing, I have mine. But he's happy, so that makes me happy."

"You two are close, huh?"

He nodded.

"I don't have a brother or a sister, so I don't really know how that bond works, but I hear it's nice." Shinji said it was also a pain in the ass, but he wouldn't trade his brother for anything. "Sometimes, I wished I had one but then I remember that I would have to share everything with him or her and that's not exactly to my taste."

Shizuo smiled slightly as a fond memory suddenly reared its head. "Kasuka used to steal my sweets when we were little. That's when—"

He stopped abruptly.

"When what?" Lili prompted.

"Nothing." He cleared his throat and tried to deviate the subject. "Can I ask you something?"

"You may."

"Why Japan?"

It took Lili's fuzzy mind a few minutes to understand his mysterious and short question.

"Are you asking me what a Scot is doing in the rising sun state?" Her chin rose haughtily. "What makes you think I wasn't born here?"

"Your accent. I know two people that are half Japanese but their speech is fluent. If you didn't see them you'd think you were talking to a local. Yours is clunky sometimes."

Damn, Lili had hoped that time would have ameliorated her speech, but that gruff native accent of hers was hard to wipe away.

"My family moved here when I was eight. It was supposed to be temporary, but _somehow_ we stayed." Lili sighed disgruntled. "We should have just gone back to Scotland."

"So, why don't you leave? You're old enough."

"Money, my mom is here…I don't have anywhere else to go." She could think up another ten reasons, but those were the main ones. "My grandparents in Edinburgh died a few years ago so there's no one else I can go to and I'm not exactly open to the idea of roaming around like a hobo. I like stability."

"I never left Tokyo before, not even on vacation. My parents always had to work because…" He winced faintly as he crushed his cigarette underneath his shoe. "Because I always caused so much trouble."

"You mean your school, right?" Lili mused as she remembered the extensive damage report in Blondie's files. "Must have a cost a lot of money to repair the parts you destroyed."

He frowned dubiously. "How do you know that?"

"I…heard about it." She quickly retorted as she coughed in her fist. _Shit, that was close_. _Distract him!_ "We should head back inside before Shinji falls asleep on the counter. Jyoushi will accuse us of secretly drinking on the job again. As if I'm a drunk! Pfft!"

She laughed but as soon as she stood up, the smile broke as her cheeks puffed out. Shizuo took a step away as he recognized the signs of nausea. A minute passed and no acid bathed, partially digested food came up her throat and splattered all over the concrete.

"You alright?" Shizuo watched her cautiously.

She gave him the thumbs up as she took a deep breath. "I just got dizzy for a second there."

"Are you sure you can work?"

"Oh please, this is nothing." She wetted her dry lips as she put one foot in front of the other. "I've been in much worse states before and I still managed."

They gingerly walked together towards the backdoor, Shziuo ready to catch her in case she tripped again.

"Why didn't you join me in the drinking game?" Her fingers took a hold of his sleeve and shook him slightly. "It's free booze!"

"I don't like alcohol." He frowned at her fingers on his arm. "It's got a funny taste."

Lili smirked sardonically. "I never met a bartender who didn't drink before."

"I'm not a bartender yet. Besides, I remember jyoushi saying that we're not allowed to drink on the job."

The redhead chuckled with a small snort. "As long as we don't buy it, but we can't just refuse a paid drink, can we? That would be rude. After all, the customer is _always_ right."

She ended that with a dry cackle and snort.

* * *

"I swear, my back is going to break one of these days." Shinji yawned as he massaged the knots on his lower spine. How much of his health he sacrificed for a yen...

"It wasn't that bad." Lili arranged her backpack's strap over her shoulder. "Could have been worse."

Shinji grunted before peeking at the silent, tall shadow walking beside them. The bartender hadn't said a word to Blondie since his return yesterday and he was still reluctant to even be near him, but Lili was quite adamant with sticking to him and he couldn't just leave her alone. Heiwajima might do something he might regret once he came down from his anger.

Well, if Lili was so determined to walk with Heiwajima then he won't be the only one unnerved.

"So, Blondie…" Shinji gave him a long side-glance. "How does it feel like being back into the limelight?"

He shrugged indifferently.

"You're not much of a talker, are you?" Shinji didn't wait for an answer as he continued. "As much as I detest this job, I do like the attention it gives me. I'm a pretty _popular_ guy around there."

Lili rolled her eyes unnoticed.

"And you can also be one." He poked the blonde in the arm. "The ladies do _love_ men behind counters. They all think that gets them free drinks and if you spin it right, it gets _you_ a buddy for the night. It's actually really simple. Girls have no respect for themselves these days. They're _easy_ pickings."

Lili glared at his 'innocent' smirk. If that lanky bastard was talking about her, she'll—

"I'm not into that."

Shinji frowned as he gave Lili a questioning look. _Is he for real?_

The girl shrugged. _How should I know?_

No alcohol or women. Was he training to become a Buddhist or something? While Lili respected others lifestyle choices, she still didn't get people or teenagers who refused booze. Wasn't it for them like catnip was for cats? She knew it was for her.

An idea then came to mind. Something that would test Blondie's statements and maybe make the night a little bit more fun. Also, she wanted to piss her friend off for that jab at her sex life.

"Blondie, we're going bar hoping later tonight. You wanna come along?"

Bewildered, Shizuo stared at her like she grew a second head. "Uh, it's really not my thing."

There was a prickling at the back of her neck. Side-glancing, she came face to face with a glare from a very pissed off bartender. That glower said everything— _What are you doing? It's supposed to be just the two of us!_

Lili's lips stretched upwards like she was the embodiment of the Grinch. _Oh, yes I'm doing this._

"Come on, man." She elbowed the blonde playfully with a dazzling smile. "We'll show you around Ikebukuro's night scene. You don't have to drink or anything, just come out with us."

Shinji was seconds away from either pulling his hair out in frustration or pulling hers into a fight. The redhead didn't even have the gall to look guilty as she gave him the finger from behind her back, all the while keeping that smile on for Shizuo.

"Why don't you take a ride on the wild side? And what better way to do that than with us." She indicated herself and the now eye-twitching, gorging blood vessel Shinji. "And trust me, you won't even have to spend that much yen. Perk of this job is that everyone in this business knows each other. So, we get a shitload of free drinks and in return, we provide free drinks. It's a mutually beneficial trade."

Shizuo seemed unconvinced as he looked between her and the glowering, demon-eyed Shinji. He might not be the brightest crayon in the bunch, but Shizuo always could tell when he wasn't wanted. The bartender's glare conveyed just that.

A hand tugged at his jacket and honey-brown eyes settled back on the girl. The bright-eyed stare she was giving him had a flush liven up his cheeks. When did she get so close? This wasn't exactly a comfortable position for him to be in.

"It's better than spending the end of the weekend at home watching TV." She'd done that before and it wasn't that entertaining. Lili would much rather be out walking through Tokyo's nightlife than spend it in an empty apartment, listening to her neighbor's baby screech. "You won't be on your own, Blondie. We'll be there with you."

 _Come on, I want to see another side of you_. The redhead really wanted some in-depth on the man called Heiwajima Shizuo. He was a really interesting person, more interesting than the people she met on a daily basis. I mean, how often do you get to meet a person with super-strength?

And what better way to know him better than with alcohol's libertine effects, maybe even a pill if she was coercive enough.

Shizuo nodded after a few, _long_ minutes of heavy thinking. Lili could have sworn that she almost saw smoke billowing out of his ears like a coal train with the way he battled his choices.

"Tonight. Ten o'clock right in this spot." Her smile widened. "You won't regret it."

" _Lovely_." Shinji butted in as he had on his best fake smile, all the while staring daggers into the redhead. "Then I guess the _three_ of us we'll see each other tonight."

They reached the edge of the park and the end of their journey together.

"Well, this is my turn." Shinji huffed as he placed a pair of glasses over his eyes to protect himself from the light of the rising sun. "I'll see you tonight."

"Bye, Shinji." Lili chirped with a mocking smile and Shinji gave her both fingers, high up in the air, once Shizuo's back was turned.

Lili's eye twitched as she didn't have the opportunity to reply to her friend's _goodbye_. Shizuo was looking right at her with this expectant uncertainty and it was rubbing off on her as she shuffled on her feet.

"I'm going that way." Shizuo pointed behind him. "There's a bus station near."

"I go through here." Lili jutted her chin towards the park.

Neither knew what else to say as they stood there on the morning sidewalk, silent like the air around them. They were now in that one instance where Tokyo, for the briefest of moments, recharged itself. There was such a stillness in the air that Lili could almost hear her own heartbeat.

Shizuo's eyes never stayed on her for more than a few seconds as he kept skipping over her to look at the surroundings. With annoyance, he shoved his hands into his pockets and he cleared his throat. "I guess I'll see you tonight."

She nodded faintly, still watching him.

Shizuo gave her one last look before turning away, his ears bright pink.

"Blondie!" Lili called out impulsively.

The man in question stopped and looked back at her in curiosity.

—It had to be _now_ that a blank space took up residence in her head.

 _Ugh…_

Struggling to find the right words, any word at this point, Lili spoke the first thing that came to her mind since the silence was starting to stretch out.

"Thanks…for…the cigarette…" She ended lamely, almost in a question.

He blinked owlishly before frowning in bewilderment. He nodded at her before turning away briskly.

Lili cringed as her cheeks flushed red. _Really? 'Thanks for the cigarette'?_ That was the best she could come up with? Her palm hit her face as she groaned into it. She felt so _stupid_.

Shizuo probably thought she was stupid.

With one last look at the blonde, Lili stepped passed the edge of the park and into its grassy domains. Placing her headphones deep in ears, she hoped that Nunjabes's chill vibes would distract her mind from endlessly looping that lame conversation.

Jamming her hands into her leather jacket's pockets, Lili exhaled heavily. She actually felt tired. So tired that she actually wanted to sleep and not waste away hours watching the cracks in her ceiling.

Like on clock, the joggers passed her by and Lili watched them run with disinterest. As her eyes followed them, she came upon another figure.

—There was a man dressed in black with his hood over his head a distance away from her.

Lili blinked and turned back faster than she wanted. For some reason that image disturbed her as small goosebumps rose over her arms. Lili felt the fine hairs at the back of her neck rise with the dread growing inside the pit of her stomach.

How did those stories start on the news—

" _Good evening, my name is Blah Blah, I will be reporting this night's murder mystery. Foreign girl entered a park at the crack of dawn, her usual route after finishing work, but today hadn't exactly been typical. You see, viewers, she never left the park. At least, not alive. She was found dead. Very,_ very _dead. Mummy in a sarcophagus_ dead _. Police is unable to say how at this moment, but it's presumed that she was dim enough to go through a park on her own in the dead hours and someone, seeing that lack of common sense, took full advantage of it."_

Lili's narrative stopped right there.

 _Ugh…_

Swallowing thickly, the redhead fumbled with her IPod until the music stopped and all she could hear were the morning birds chirping.

The girl strategically left her headphones in her ears. She didn't want the guy behind her to think something was amiss and she wanted to be aware in case the guy got closer or suddenly ran. Lili may be a lot of things, but she was cautious first and foremost. Her occupation, fortunately, made her a bit paranoid when it came to lone people on an empty street.

If some crazy bastard got his eyes on her, Lili would rather be prepared. Slowly, she rummaged through her purse for the mace spray she kept at all times. She might not like fighting, but she wasn't stupid enough to walk around Tokyo without some protection. It was too early in the morning and the guy was too shady.

The bartender acutely listened to his steps. They could barely be heard as they met the stone pavement and Lili had the foreboding feeling that he had gotten closer.

Taking the chance, she peeked behind her and her worst fears had been right—the man _was_ closer.

Lili literally felt her heart jump in her throat and her blood pump with exceeding velocity. Her hand got clammy as they lightly shook.

 _Oh God, this motherfucker is gonna kill me!_

Wetting her sudden dry lips, Lili held tightly onto the bottle of mace. She swore the moment the fucker got within her range she'll blind him so bad he'd wish he picked up another girl!

Her tough words rang strong in her mind, but they were overshadowed by the shake of her hands. It got so bad that she clutched to her purse like a lifeline in a storm in fear that otherwise she would drop it.

As she walked, Lili realized that his steps were synchronizing with hers. She found that out once she made a slight pause in her walk and, to her utter terror, he did also.

This new found discovery just heightened her panic as her breath became so labored and her mind so frazzled that Lili worried she might slip into a panic attack and die before she could reach the end of the park. There wasn't much longer to walk, just a few meters and Lili swore she would run the moment she stepped out of the park. There was bound to be traffic now and people with early-hour jobs. If she screamed, someone would hear her.

 _Right?_

Her breath hitched once she reached the end of the park. _Now or never._

The sudden _loud_ gravel crunch of the man's boots had her running without a second thought. Adrenaline surged through her entire system as the fight-or-flight instinct had her sprinting like a gazelle chased by a predator.

She was going in the wrong way, she knew that. Her home had been in the opposite direction, but Lili knew better than to leave a trail back to her apartment. What if he followed her?

The moment she reached a bend she stopped to catch her breath ( _fucking cigarettes were killing her lungs!_ ) and looked behind her to see how far the man was, her mace out and ready to be sprayed on his face.

But…there was no one there.

The guy that was supposed to be chasing her stopped at the bus station outside of the park and was now sitting on the bench, tapping away on his phone.

 _Huh?_

Lili stood in the middle of the sidewalk, hunched over herself holding a mace protectively in front of her.

A small gust of wind flew by.

 _I look like an idiot, don't I?_

Straightening out, and subtlety peeking around if anyone saw her, Lili shoved the mace back into the recesses of her purse. The guy wasn't an axe murderer, just some teen that probably just left a party and was heading home for some well deserved shut eye. He didn't even seem to notice her existence.

Sighing in relief, Lili smothered the wrinkles on her jacket and cleared her throat of the embarrassment she just put herself into. She had gotten so worked up over an invisible threat that she didn't even stop to think of the alternatives of why someone was walking through a park in the quiet of the morning. She had been because she just finished her shift. Why couldn't that apply to him as well?

Lili was just glad nobody had seen her.

With a cough, she crossed the street pointedly and went back in the direction she was supposed to be going. She didn't even sneak a glance at the stranger on the other side still engrossed with his phone. If the guy noticed her little freak-out then she wasn't about to have him laugh at her. She was well aware how ridiculous she had looked.

But Lili still held her breath as she passed him. Some lingering effects of the adrenaline were still making her heart beat fast and so, her paranoia was still felt, only thankfully in smaller doses.

Once a distance away, Lili pushed the button on her IPod and continued listening to Nunjabes. She needed to calm down completely and return to her Zen state from before, but she knew it was a waste. This little incident had erased her exhaustion completely. No way was she going to get a wink of sleep in her high-strung condition and Lili almost sobbed. First time in ages she felt the need to sleep and it was brutally taken away from her because on an overreacting imagination. She could almost kill her brain for ruining it for her.

As Lili was absorbed in her self-pitying thoughts, she didn't notice the man slip his phone back into his jacket and turn his hooded face towards her, silently watching her oblivious figure as she walked away.

—A flash of teeth from behind a wide grin.

* * *

 _ **Foot Note:**_ I wonder who that guy was? *wink, wink*

Next chapter is gonna be wild, and if I don't post before the end of the year—I hope you guys have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Best of luck with the resolutions!

Cheers!


	7. Blood on the Dance Floor

_**Author's Note:**_ I'm back, bitches!

Four months have passed…Holy pineapples, feels like just last week I signed off. Which is either a good thing or a bad one. Anyways, I'm going forward on with the story (yey!), but I'm telling you now that updating will probably be once a month, two if I get the time. Tough times, bro.

Thanks to everyone that had the patience! Mucho love if you're still following the story after all this time! And I hope it proves to be worth the wait!

* * *

"Yo."

Lili waved at the man sitting with his arms leisurely draped over the back of a bench. Shinji grunted as he took the cigarette out of his mouth and invited her to sit next to him.

"You've been waiting long?" She asked as she lit up her own cigarette.

"Nah, this is my first cigarette since coming here."

The redhead's eyes roved over his stylish attire—a deep ruby floral printed suit complete with a vest of the same color and a black shirt with a beige neckline. Even his hair was not in its usual fashion instead swept back, held by a ton of gel and hairspray.

"Feeling lucky tonight, huh?"

"I feel _sexy_ tonight." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "They'll never know what hit them."

Lili chuckled in relief. She had hoped Shinji would calm down from this morning's almost quarrel and be his usual cheerful self again. He didn't disappoint.

"You also look positively sassy."

The girl almost choked on the smoke. " _Sassy_?"

Shinji grinned as he eyed her own uniform—a deep turquoise tube dress with silver snake outlines and a dark blazer, dark pumps and a small shoulder bag.

"Those shoes don't fit, though."

"Yeah, I know." She lifted a leg as they both stared at the black high-heeled pump. "I didn't have anything the color of the dress so I had to improvise with the blazer."

"Eh, it'll have to work." Shinji threw his arm over the girl's shoulders and pulled her to him in a one-armed bear hug. "You and me are gonna kill tonight, Red. We'll be the baddest motherfuckers that ever walked Tokyo's streets."

"Speaking of bad, where's Blondie?"

The would-be-doctor shrugged. "Probably running late…or he decided to pussy out."

"I hope not." The girl flicked the ash from her cigarette, a frown marring her features. "That would just ruin everything."

Shinji eyed the girl closely before nodding certainly. "You _are_ trying to bone him."

Lili's shoulders slumped as she sighed harshly.

"I knew it!" He pointed an accusatory finger. She did not even try to disagree with him. "I knew this whole 'nice Lili' was just an act to get in his pants! You thought you could hide it, but Shinji sees all, knows all."

"…Did you just refer to yourself in the third person?"

"Don't change the subject." He tsked, wagging a disapproving finger. He placed his chin in the middle of his palm, one eyebrow raised further than the other, giving off an evil villain impression. "So, what's your master plan? Are you going to get him drunk and lure him to your woman-cave?"

"Oh yeah, because that's what I usually do." She snarked. "I hit men over the head with a club and drag them to my lair just so I can have my way with them and eat them during sex like a praying mantis."

"I knew you were into kinky shit." He shook his head in mock disappointment as if she had just revealed that she was Hitler reincarnated instead of a horny teenager.

"Look, Shinji. That wasn't why I invited him. I _genuinely_ want him to just hang out with us. _But_ …" Lili said as she crossed her arms, cigarette dangling between her lips. "If I don't get lucky tonight, Blondie could be my rebound. He seems easy enough to get into bed."

"He's also dangerous." Shinji deadpanned. "Do I really have to stress that out again?"

"Newsflash, Shinji. I like a little bit of danger."

"Uh-huh, like your dumbass dealer that skipped Tokyo? Or that arrogant asshole host from last year? Face it, Red. You like sleeping with dickheads that think they're badass, but are, in fact, just broke assholes with a God complex that bail out at the first sign of trouble."

"How did you know about my dealer?"

"Oh please, you know how many times I heard you complain that you don't have enough money, but you're always _conveniently_ supplied? Doesn't take a genius to figure out how you managed that."

Lili scrunched her nose. "It wasn't like that. We had a mutual beneficial agreement, and he wasn't that bad. He made me laugh."

Shinji rolled his eyes. "Look, Red. The point is that Blondie doesn't strike me as a guy that walks the same path we do. He doesn't drink, he doesn't go out and I'm beginning to think he's never had a girlfriend. What do you think will happen when he realizes that sex was just a meaningless one night stand he just participated in? It'll scar him forever and turn him into a woman-hater."

"When you put it like that, it makes me sound like a terrible human being." The girl groaned as she threw her cigarette away, no longer having a taste for it. "But, he's _cute_." She whined.

"And he's your work _colleague_. If you two get it on, it's gonna be awkward as hell working with both of you in an enclosed space. Haven't you learned anything from sleeping with Suzuki?"

"Blondie's not like that porcupine styled pothead."

" _Exactly_. Suzuki didn't think twice after the deed. I don't think Blondie will be able to let it go just as easy." Shinji sighed as he saw the slump Lili settled in. "If it was anyone else, I would have said go for it. Men are dumb by nature, we mostly think with our dicks so a one-night stand is what we consider an achievement, but every now and then a guy appears that is different from the masses. He's looking for something other than a meaningless ten minute coupling with a person they'll most likely forget come morning. I think Blondie is one of those rare specimens."

"I'm not looking for a boyfriend, Shinji. The effort I put in the last one was too grueling. I want something easy that won't give me a headache."

"Then my advice as your friend is to look towards greener pasture." He made wings out of his hands and let them fly away.

"Hey."

Both bartenders looked over to the towering shadow that engulfed them. Shizuo stood in front of them with his hands in his pockets.

Shinji face-palmed with a groan. "I should've known…"

The reason for Shinji's downturn mood was the rather plain garb Shizuo chose to wear—t-shirt, jeans and sneakers.

"Blondie, you look…" Lili tired to find the least insulting word she could possibly think of. "Casual."

"I didn't know what to wear, so I just put these on." As he eyed the two bartenders he realized that he deathly underdressed for the occasion.

"It's alright, we can work with that." Shinji gave him the thumbs up while whispering low so the blonde wouldn't hear. "Thank kami for the 'cheerleader effect'."

Lili stood up from the bench and noticed dismally that she still wasn't even close to reaching his height even with heels on. He really _was_ a giant…

"So, you ready for tonight?" Lili smirked with a hand on her hip.

He shrugged not entirely excited making some of the grin lose its shine. She looked to Shinji for help, but he just crossed his arms stubbornly. This had been her idea, she deal with it.

"Alright then." Lili clapped her hands loudly. "Let's get this party started."

* * *

"So, what do you think?"

The trio stood at the entrance of Shinjuku's red light district listening to the chaos around them—the blinking neon lights advertising love hotels and hostess clubs, the beguiling calls of beautiful and loose women, the presence of expensive-clothed yakuza, the pings and jingles of arcade games. Nightclubs, restaurants, casinos, bars, karaoke.

—It was no wonder Kabukicho was called the 'Sleepless Town'.

"It's nice I guess." Shizuo scratched the back of his head in obvious unease. "But couldn't we have stayed in Ikebukuro? There are bars there too."

"Oh, Blondie." Shinji sighed dramatically as he tried to educate his new colleague in the aspects of night life. "Remaining in one district is the most boring thing you could do on a night out. You lose so much by not exploring the others. Beside Kabukicho _is_ practically a small entertainment city inside Tokyo. Trust me, you won't find anywhere better."

Lili nudged the cautious man ahead as they followed Shinji into the bright nether world of Tokyo's night life. While the two bartenders strutted with their chins held high, Shizuo was enthralled by everything that blinked and shined brighter than the sun. His head turned from left to right, eager to soak the vivaciousness of the street and its people walking it. He had been countless times to Sunshine City, but it paled in comparison to this neon behemoth.

The redhead was amused by the blonde's interest. Gone was his earlier uncertainty, now left with just an awe that reminded her of her first time in Kabukicho and how mesmerized she had been. That experience had been the beginning of her forays into Shinjuku and she had made many memories here, good and bad. She hoped that the man beside her would make his own memories to look back on fondly, even if it was for one night.

The mood suddenly changed as Shizuo stiffened. Lili was baffled by the way he looked around wildly, his features concentrated. His intensity was even scaring the people around them into giving them a wide birth. Not that Lili complained, but she was troubled by the man's sudden change in behavior as if a switch had been flicked.

"You okay, Blondie?"

Honey eyes settled on her for a second before returning to his perusing. "Yeah, I just get this feeling like something's not right."

"Well, we are in yakuza territory."

"Never much cared for yakuza before." He narrowed his eyes on the crowd behind him, his eyes scanning every face. "No, this is something else. Something _familiar_."

"Doesn't matter, man. We're here to have fun." She caught his wrist and pulled. Shinji was already way ahead and they needed to catch up. "So, forget about your worries and concentrate on the now."

With a hesitant frown, Shizuo looked behind him one more time before letting go of the sensation and following the girl.

In the throng of people, a pair of ruby eyes followed the giant sticking out from the crowd and the small redhead that was dragging him after her.

Izaya fingered the small blade in his pocket as he let the exhilaration die down. He had been more than ready to flick the small weapon at the blonde in case he was spotted. Good thing he didn't, otherwise this night would have had an abrupt end.

* * *

Bar after bar they visited, never staying too long so not to miss out what other locals had to offer. From multicolored shots to tangy and fruity cocktails to beers. They wasted no time in gulping them down like poor souls stranded in the desert. Both Shinji and Lili were veterans when it came to bar hoping as they've been doing it since they were small teens. Navigating through such luminous and loud environments practically felt like second hand to them. Unfortunately, it wasn't the same for Shizuo.

"Oh my god! My brain's on fire!" Shinji laughed as he jumped on the balls of his feet, riding out the burn in his body.

Even Lili groaned as she felt her head spasms frenziedly. They just drank absinthe shots while inhaling the vapors from the burnt alcohol, guaranteed to mess up even the most experienced of drinkers.

A crash came from beside them. Shizuo was on the ground, pale faced and barely able to stay awake as his eyes rolled around in their sockets. Even his body shook from head to toe.

"Blondie, you alright?" Lili crouched next to him, worried that he might slip into a coma. "Shit, I knew you shouldn't have drank that. There's a reason absinthe is illegal in some places."

The only thing the man managed to gurgle were a few unintelligible words as he stared out into space with a dopey expression.

"Hehe, he looks funny." Shinji snickered as he watched his barback try to make sense of the world.

Lili scowled.

"What?" He shrugged harmlessly. "I've never seen eyes actually roll around in your sockets like that. It's kind of funny. Wait, I wanna take a picture—"

The redhead slapped the man over the side of his head, but Shinji only stuck his tongue impetuously and still managed to sneak a photo.

"This is for science, Red. I swear!"

"Like hell!"

Instead of further aggravating herself with Shinji's antics, Lili concerned herself with the man down. She groaned as she struggled on her thin heels to help the giant back on his feet. With great effort, the duo managed to drag him up on a bar stool and immediately Shizuo's head crashed on the bar top. The bartender behind it gave the bleached blonde a dirty look, but Shinji waved him off with an amicable gesture.

"I think we killed him." Lili said as she poked his limp cheek.

"Nah, he's still alive." Shinji said nonchalantly as he checked the blonde's vitals like any good soon-to-be-doctor would. "He just needs water. Oh, bartender~! Get us some water and two Jager bombs! Stat!"

Lili deadpanned.

"What?" Shinji sniffed as he flicked imaginary dust off his shoulder. "Just because Blondie is a light weight doesn't mean we are."

In such a fashion did their night unfold—Shinji and Lili would drink to their hearts content making one wonder just how great their alcohol tolerance was while Shizuo, after his recent brush with unconsciousness, passed on the array of drinks the two offered and nursed his nausea with water.

They laughed and joked and snapped pictures as they paved a merry and slightly drunken path to their ultimate destination—The Flying Parade, Kabukicho's biggest and most notorious club. A frequent spot for young adults and happy pills sellers, all yakuza owned of course.

Getting inside had been easy, courtesy of Shinji's silver tongue and Lili's pretty foreignness ( _thank you, push up bra!_ ). The electro beats and wild drum n' bass that hit them upon entering had left Shizuo in a daze. Laser shows atop fog simulators and large bubbles floating around had his head spin. Lili was right at home as she swayed to the rhythm of the music alongside Shinji while Shizuo stood as stiff as a board, mortified of joining them.

Shizuo felt trapped in this sea of perpetually moving bodies. The air suffocated him as the lights blinded. Everywhere he looked, there were people and no ways of escaping. With each passing second, he felt his temper rise in reaction to his awkwardness and if it weren't for the hand that grabbed his he would have blown a fuse. Looking down, Shizuo turned ten shades red as Lili tugged on his hand to join her in the sound of the night. She tantalizingly swayed her hips and smiled prettily making the blonde break out into a cold sweat, not understanding her change in demeanor.

"Come on!" He barely heard her shout. "Have some fun!"

This was not fun for him, Shizuo thought as he tried to smile and only ended up with a contorted grimace. Lili frowned at his creep face and tried again to pull on his wrists to make him move, but the blonde was resolute in not following her lead.

Lili groaned in frustration as Shinji simply sent her an 'I-told-you-so' look. Not one to be deterred so quickly, she signaled to her companions to find a table and wait for her until she hit the bar. They needed drinks and this time Blondie didn't get to refuse. He needed to pull that pole out of his ass and _chill_.

* * *

The redhead squeezed her way to the bar and breathed in relief once she hit the counter. There were several bartenders at their station all trying to smoothly work through the onslaught of people, but Lili had eyes on only one person.

"Yo, Kimi!"

The girl turned her head at the sound of her name and smiled broadly as her eyes landed on wavy red hair. Ignoring the other needy customers that came before, she stepped up to Lili and bumped fists.

"Yo, girl. Haven't seen you in ages!" Kimi giggled as her many piercings gleamed in the dark. "What're you up to?"

"The usual disobedience towards everything sugar, spice and everything nice."

The bartender snorted. "Yeah, I bet. If you're here, that means Shinji-kun is here also."

"He's _scoping_ around."

The girl nodded in understanding and leaned closer to Lili's ear. "There's a guy near the VIP section. His shit is pricey, but it's good. You can spot him easily since he's hanging with a wannabe Gothic Lolita."

"Thanks, Kimi." She blew her a kiss to which the bartender dramatically caught it in her hand. The yells around them got increasingly louder as aggravated patrons waited for service. "I see your hands are full tonight. You think you have the time for an old friend?"

"For you, always. What'll be?"

Lili gave her an order of multicolored shots, exotic cocktails and beers.

As the redhead waited for her order, she passed the time with subtlety perusing the patrons through the long mirror behind the bar. The image she got was one she'd seen a hundred times over and was instantly put off. Seeing these people act like wild monkeys had her despise them even more. It was amazing how such places could have them lose all inhibitions, shed their day personalities for the guise of party animals. But Lili knew once morning came, they all crawled back to their civil human suits like the obedient mutts they were.

Bah, what did she know? She was the same—

 _Eh?_

Something caught her interest. There was a man her age grinning _directly_ at her through the mirror as he caught her in the act of spying.

She broke contact as a shiver slid down her spine. Not only did Lili feel embarrassed by the flagrant catch, but the dude had a disturbing smile. Opting to wait patiently for her drinks, she couldn't shake off this feeling that she was being watched and she had a good feeling by whom. As much as she wanted to confirm it, she would not provide the man an open invitation to approach her. Eye contact that lasted more than a second was always a 'come-flirt-with-me' in nightlife culture.

Kimi saved her further discomfort as she arrived with her finished order. As Lili was about to lay down the yen needed, her colleague shook her head.

"You're good."

The redhead narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Don't tell me it's on you? You're the cheapest hoe I know. You hate even paying for your own food."

"Pfft, what do you take me for? It was that guy." She jerked her thumb to the right.

Three guesses on who it landed.

The grinning man waved at Lili once she made eye contact.

"You got yourself an admirer, Lili-chan." Kimi grinned lewdly, no doubt devilish thoughts already swimming around in her head.

Only it wasn't the same for Lili. She stared wide-eyed at the man as the ever moving lasers and lights basked the club in bright crimson. The man now looked positively hellish with the broad grin that displayed his teeth. Even his eyes held a menacing shine.

It then clicked in Lili's brain.

It was the guy from Angels. That creep of a bastard who order water and never drank it.

A cold bead of sweat rolled down her spine as she felt her flight instincts swell.

With a brisk goodbye to Kimi, Lili all but ran away with her drinks. She needed to disappear into the crowd.

 _Why was he here of all places? Was he stalking her?_

The answers varied from coincidence to downright grim as her internal alarm had her power walking through the throng of people like a frightened quail.

"Where are you going off to in such a hurry?"

An arm slid across her shoulders, freezing her in place. To her utter horror, the man settled beside her, grinning that infernal smile. There was a mocking twist to it as if he knew she had been running away and he had just been indulging her.

"Get your hand off me." She said coldly and was thankful that her voice didn't shake. She won't make the mistake of showing weakness to this guy again.

"No need to get so tense. I'm just saying hello." He raised an innocent hand in a peaceful gesture. "You remember me, gaijin?"

"Yeah I do, that's why I want you to stop touching me."

"That's harsh." His grip on her shoulders tightened as he leaned into her. "Now what did I ever do to incite such ire?"

 _Was he serious?_ "You threw me into the bottle shelf, you asshole!"

"No, I didn't." He mock pouted. "I let go of your hand like you asked, you're the one that backed up into the shelves. That's on you, not me."

"You—"

"But enough about that," The man interrupted the tirade that was sure to have followed. "How about we talk about how _lucky_ we are to meet again."

"I wouldn't call it luck, more like stalking." Lili wished she could pry his hand off her but since she was holding the tray, there was no such luck unless she wanted to flood the dancefloor.

The man barked in laughter. "Trust me, gaijin, _you_ don't inspire humans to stalk. They usually go after beautiful people."

Lili blanched. _Son of a—!_

"What was your name again?" That maddening grin seemed to widen in reaction to her growing annoyance. "Lola? Rin?"

"Lili." She spat between gritted teeth.

"What did I say?" He chirped merrily. "So Lili-chan, what brings you so far away from Ikebukuro?"

"Can't you guess?"

"Partying, huh?" He gave the myriad of alcoholic beverages on the tray a bored glance. "I guess that's the fad for young people these days."

Lili scoffed snidely. "Quit talking like you're some grumpy old man sitting on his porch chewing tobacco. You look the same age I am."

"True, but I'm not much of a party goer."

"Then you are either really lost to be here or just a liar." She deadpanned.

He chuckled deep in his throat giving Lili goosebumps. It sounded unnatural. "I'm here to _work_ , Lili-chan."

"You work here?" She internally groaned. This was a favorite place of hers to splurge every now and then. The fact that she'll have to avoid it like the plague from now on had her go in premature mourning.

"No, I just come here from time to time to sell certain items to certain people."

It only took a second to understand his words and Lili narrowed her eyes shrewdly. "What're you carrying?"

"Oh, no. I don't sell _that_. Drugs are vile." He smiled slyly. "Who do you take me for?"

"A very shady person."

Instead of being offended, he chuckled that eerie tingle of his.

Lili was starting to lose patience fast and began looking over the crowd for a bouncer. There was one a long way from her and he most likely wouldn't hear her if she screamed.

A finger hooked around her chin and abruptly turned her back to the grinning man.

"I'm _here_ , Lili-chan. Ignoring someone is not very nice, you know?" There was an edge to his voice as his smile curved sharply.

Again, her panic rose breaking her out in a sweat. She forgot that she was still in a precarious situation despite the offhanded manner in which he had been treating her until now. This guy was a _psycho_. Anything could set him off.

"I have to go or else my boyfriend will come find me and I swear I'll tell him that you tried to molest me."

Not a hint of anger and not even worry, instead the man laughed loudly and fanatically. It was that same from back then, the one that sent shards of ice through her stomach. She wanted nothing more than to run and hide like a little kid, but Lili thought that if she tried he'd just hunt her down. The laughter died abruptly as those red eyes watched her cruelly.

"You shouldn't lie, Lili-chan. It's ugly." His pearly teeth looked like needles in the electric radiance.

Lili was rooted in place, unable to do anything but be at the whims of this deranged person. She almost jumped out of her skin once the hand around her gave her a pat and retracted.

"Well, I have to go. Duty calls, but I'll be around." Just like he appeared, he disappeared like a shadow. Before he lost himself in the crowd, he shouted one last thing to her. "Name's Izaya. Till next time, gaijin. Bye-bye~!"

The last thing she saw of him was a coquettish wave.

Lili heaved as she let her captive breath go free. The drinks on the tray were dangerously close to tumbling off as Lili's hands trembled uncontrollably.

 _That man…_

Why did he elicit such a reaction out of her? The only person that had been capable of that had been Shiki and it was nowhere near this degree. For one, Shiki had never looked at her like she had been prey, just a nuisance. But this guy…he looked at her as if she were nothing more than a small mouse.

With a deep breath, Lili steeled her frazzled nerves and unfroze her stiff legs. The more distance she put between her and him, the better.

Navigating through the hoard of dancers had been more grueling that she had remembered, but finally she reached her destination. She spotted Shinji and Blondie at a high circular table with no chairs. Shinji was perusing the crowd, while Shizuo tried and failed to look as comfortable as possible. From his attire to his attitude, he stuck out like a sore thumb.

Despite the internal strife, Lili plastered an excited smile on her face and prayed that the dim lights of the club didn't give away her façade.

"I bring presents." Lili said as she placed the tray on the table.

"Uuu, Pina Colada." Shinji's eyes sparkled brighter than diamonds. "My favorite."

Lili then placed a brightly colored drink in front of Shizuo who stared at it cross-eyed. Never mind the fact that it was pink, the amount of garnishes it had made it appear as if a jungle grew out of the glass.

"I got you a Singapore Sling and for me, a Mai Tai."

Lili _loved_ her some marzipan drinks.

"Aren't we exotic today?" Shinji grinned as he took his share of shots and beer.

"You said I needed a vacation." Lili quipped playfully. "This is the closest to that." Her eyes then turned to Shizuo with eagerness. "So, you like it?"

Shizuo took a sip from it, obviously hesitant since his last encounter with the absinth, but his brows rose in surprise. "It's sweet."

A hand shot out and grabbed the straw that Shizuo was about to drink from again. The bleached blonde frowned in question at being denied.

"Woah, woah, Blondie." Shinji wagged a disapproving finger at him. "Shots first, cocktails second, then beers. Respect the order."

 _There's an order?_ Shizuo deadpanned.

His eyes then fell on the other diverse beverages and felt his earlier nausea bubble up.

"I don't think I can drink all these. I'm still dizzy from that absinth."

Shinji chuckled in light perplexity. "You know, for a giant you're a huge lightweight."

"I just don't drink." His frown deepened even more as the tell-tale signs of internal retreat set off alarms.

But Lili would have none of that as she threw an arm over his shoulder and leaned against him brazenly. "Well, right now you're not Shizuo the boring dude who speaks more with his shoulders. This is Blondie, my barback who will drink and have some fun if he's out with me." She handed him a shot before picking up her own and holding it in the air. "So, bottoms up, sailors!"

"Banzai!"

The trio clinked glasses and downed the shots in one go, or at least Shinji and Lili did while Shizuo chocked on it midway through.

"Hey, Shinji." Lili asked as she patted the blonde on the back. "You managed to find any pills?"

The man sighed despondently. Not a good sign. "Yes and no. I found some guy by the VIP area and he's a total douchebag. Said he doesn't sell to queers. Normally, I would've kicked him in the balls, but I don't want to start a fight here."

"Alright, then I'll try."

Shinji shook his head. "He's too expensive, Red. Our entire cash together wouldn't be able to afford more than _one_. That asshole sells to daddy's little rich angels, not working bozos like us. Not even your boobs or Caucasian-ness would be any help."

Lili's shoulders slumped. No E or Speed? This was going to be a boring night, and Shinji seemed to reflect her dispassionate mood as he too mourned the loss of euphoria that came with happy pills.

Shizuo was the only one who was disturbed by this conversation. The casual way they spoke about such illegal things had him check his surroundings in paranoia in case anyone listened. A part of him was relieved that the two bartenders were barred from getting high tonight since he had no idea how to deal with people like that. He'd rather not get into a situation he had no escape from.

Too bad for him that drunk people were just as difficult to handle.

* * *

Lili had no concept of time as she danced and generally proceeded to get shitfaced. If she had no pills available then she might at least get superbly sloshed.

At first, she began by dancing with Shinji near their table until their drinks were thoroughly depleted. At times, she had to practically force Shizuo to join them on the dance floor as the man seemed adamant on remaining glued to the table. She wished he would loosen up. In this place he was incognito and to be frank, nobody cared what he did. He might as well have some fun just like everyone else was having.

As the alcohol intake rose, her interest in the bleached blonde faded until she forgot about him entirely and lost herself in the dancing crowd. Even Shinji seemed to have drifted off to strike his fortune. Lili found her luck in the form of a pretty Japanese guy, not much older than her and she began dancing with him. It didn't take long for the dance to become heated and sensual, both grinding against one another. He bought her drink after drink, indulging the redhead in whatever she wanted. Lili was too far gone in drunken pleasure to notice that her last drink had had a rather tangy taste to it.

The effect began to be noticeable after a few songs. A light daze settled over her mind and at first Lili attributed it to nothing more than her drunkenness, but the more time passed the more it persisted. Even her limbs seemed to be slightly heavier than normal and thinking was becoming starting to get rather difficult to accomplish.

Lili felt like she was suffocating. She desperately needed fresh air.

Stumbling through the crowd, she reached the front entrance and pushed open the door. A cool breeze engulfed her as she entered the long, cool hall that was the entrance of the club. Breathing in the night air, Lili staggered as her vision blurred at the corners.

She didn't know how long she was in that corridor, but it felt like hours had passed. Time felt like it moved slower than usual.

"Hey, are you alright?"

A large hand settled on her shoulder and dazedly Lili followed the appendage up to its attached human and came face to face with a tall blonde. It took a few seconds for her to realize where she had seen him before and smiled dopily.

"Yeah, I just needed some air. It's too hot in there."

Blondie sighed at her slurred speech, knowing that she was drunk out of her mind. Carefully, he guided her to one of the benches and sat her down. There weren't many others in the hall, just a few people smoking, chatting among themselves or otherwise preoccupied with drunkenly groping and kissing.

"Yeah, it got pretty crowded in there. That's why I left half an hour ago."

Lili frowned as she tried to understand his words, but only barely succeeding.

"Are you havin' any fun at least?"

"This is really not my kind of fun." Shizuo's expression contorted in annoyance. He had been seriously thinking of heading home before Lili had stumbled out. He had been left alone in a place he had no notion of and it was starting to grate on his nerves. "Besides, I think I'm getting a headache."

"That's the booze in your system." Lili giggled as she leaned her head on his shoulder, her eyes watching him dully. "It happens the first time."

Shizuo tensed along with her proximity and cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I think I'm gonna head home."

"Huh?" Lili's straightened before practically jumping him and keeping his arm prisoner within her own. "No! Stay. It's not that bad. You just need to loosen up and I know the _perfect_ thing."

His frown deepened. "I don't want any more alcohol. I'm already buzzed and I don't want to get drunk."

"Pfft!" The girl pouted snidely. "You sound like I'm givin' you a cleaver to butcher someone. It's just a few hours of happiness." Her finger teasingly traced a small circle on his chest as her smile turned sly. "That doesn't sound bad, does it?"

"I'm not interested. I get drunk, I'm liable to lose control and I don't want that to happen." His hand caught hers, stopping it from further giving him any more anxiety. At this point, he could feel his ears burn lobster red and he'd rather not have his face turn into a tomato as well.

Her pout turned into an irritated scowl. "'Seriously, do you do anythin' besides mopin' about your strength?"

"I _don't_ mope." He defended himself indignantly.

"Like hell you don't, idiot!" Lili pointed an accusing finger at him. "When I was at your apartment you were practically one great big ball of depression. If I were in your place I would be _thrilled_ to have strength like that."

—With that kind of power…the sky was the limit.

"Trust me if I could give it away, I would." Shizuo disentangled from her grip, her words sobering him up. "And this isn't as fun as you think it is."

"Oh right, woe is me." Lili dramatically laid the back of her hand on her forehead with a faux tragic expression. "I hit the guy bullyin' me. I'm the worst. Grow a motherfuckin' pair, man. You sound like a pussy."

At this point, Shizuo left her side. His blood boiled and he'd rather not be near her and her poisoned words right now. He's never hit a girl before and he had no intention of starting now, accidentally or otherwise. His departing back had Lili realize her mistake. She caught his arm just in time as she almost tripped on her heels and fell face-first into the ground.

Shizuo glared down at her as she held onto his arm like a stubborn octopus.

"Look, forget what I said." She tried to dissuade his foul mood with cute smiles and fluttering lashes. "I'm drunk right now. I'm liable to say anythin' and not all of it is true."

"It seemed true enough to me." His tone was arctic.

 _Damn, sweet words won't help this time._ So,Lili tried a different tactic.

"Hey, Shizuo…" She gazed at him wide-eyed and excited. "You wanna fuck?"

The blonde did a double-take as he took a step back out of shock. What did she just say?

"Come on, there's bound to be a secluded place around here somewhere." She tugged on his arm, victoriously thinking that she caught him in her web.

But the man was unmovable as he remained stiff as a board with an expression of utter horror, mortification and shock. His mouth gaped open like a fish's and Lili was losing patience as fast as her vision distorted.

"What?" She snapped. "Are you deaf?"

 _Huh, did my voice change?_

"I heard you." Shizuo spoke in a hollow tone. "I just don't know why you'd ask _me_ that."

"Why the hell not?" She huffed as he had said the most ridiculous thing ever. "We're both here and I feel on fire."

When Lili's other hand touched Shizuo's chest, he recoiled.

"You're drunk."

"No shit, you only realized that now?" She rolled her eyes exasperated. _Less talking, more sexy time, please_. "Come on, Blondie. I can ride you 'till you can't feel your legs."

Brazenly, Lili settled against Shizuo, their chests touching. Her touch was gentle, her nails raking across the exposed skin of his arms. Shizuo's brain seemed to have vacated his head as he stared blankly at her. Lili didn't mind, as long as he didn't pull back she still had a chance to convince him. He didn't know what he was missing.

Standing on her toes, her lips ghosted over his neck unable to reach further up. Although displeased with the difference in height, she would have to content herself with only his throat as she nipped the skin cheekily.

Shizuo breathed harshly, heavily conflicted on what to do. On one hand, he had a girl actually not afraid to approach him even after seeing the destruction he could cause. On the other, she was drunk off her ass and she'll probably regret it once she sobered up. They were colleagues and a fling between them would make things awkward.

But the _most_ important thing that held him back was the fact that he'd never had sex before whereas she probably had experience. He didn't want to make a fool out of himself—

What was she doing? Shizuo thought as his breath hitched.

Her tongue licked at his pounding pulse, tracing it down to his collarbone. This ministration was nothing compared to what her hands were doing. He felt them slowly slide down his abdomen and slyly slip beneath his shirt. He hissed once her pads touched the line of his underwear, thumbs torturously circling over the lines of his Adonis Belt.

He almost gave in, but the moment those fingers slipped underneath the material of his waistband, he snapped out of his daze. On reflex, Shizuo pushed the danger away and regretted it immediately as he rashly miscalculated his strength.

Lili hit the opposite wall with a yelp and loud thud. She slid to the ground, astonished and puzzled at what just happened. _Did I just get hit by a ram?_

The people in the corridor barely spared them a glance, some snickering drunkenly while others didn't even pause in their ardor.

"Shit!" Shizuo cursed as he realized his grave mistake and hastily reached her side, fearing the worst. "I'm sorry! Let me help—"

"Don't touch me!" Lili slapped his hand away, visibly distressed. "You're a fucking brute! You could've just said no, you didn't need to hurt me!"

"I didn't mean to!" He pleaded, cold sweat pouring down his brow. "I said I was sorry!"

"Fuck your apologies, man!" She pushed him away and used the wall to crawl back up to her feet which proved to be harder than she had initially thought.

 _What's wrong with my legs? I can barely move them. And my arms…_

"Goddamn it!" Annoyed, she kicked off one heel and gingerly picked it up. "Shinji told me to be careful around you, that you'd hurt me one day, but like an idiot I didn't listen. I thought that you're a good guy at heart, but you're just another asshole!"

Lili threw her heeled pump at him, hitting Shizuo in the chest. He didn't seem fazed by it as he stood there helplessly.

"You're a fuckin' danger to everyone around you! No wonder you don't want to have sex! You'd probably just tear a girl in two, you brute! Go back in the cave you crawled out of, you damn Neanderthal!"

Lili threw her last shoe before storming away on wobbly legs. Never mind that the people around them were now laughing and cat-calling, never mind that she had no shoes, she just needed to be as far away from that blonde bastard as possible.

Shizuo was left standing with her shoes at his feet. He shouldn't be upset. He was used to these kinds of situations—people yelling at him, shouting insults and he learned over time how to block them out. But a slither of hurt cracked his heart with each shoe thrown at him. He had just been starting to get along with the redhead and he just ruined this rare chance at having a friend that wasn't a quirky underground doctor or a headless fairy-tail creature.

He fucked up. _Again_.

"You got no luck, dude!" Some guy yelled as he guffawed in between words. "Guess she isn't into BDSM!"

Shizuo's nostrils flared.

The laughing was cut off like a gunshot once his fist met the wall. The small crater left behind and his fierce glare had everyone all but piss themselves in terror, except for the enamored couple who seemed completely oblivious to the world around them as they frolicked away.

* * *

Lili stumbled through the crowd of party goers, unable to comprehend anymore where she was or how she got there. Her mind was dangerously close to shutting down and she had no idea why.

By a stroke of luck, she managed to bump into her dance partner, who smiled in relief at finding her.

"Hey, where were you? I got the drinks." But a careful inspection on the redhead's face had him frowning in concern. "Are you alright?"

She shook her head unable to utter a word.

"I have a booth at the VIP section. You can rest there."

But the moment he grabbed her arm, Lili hissed as her shoulder pulsated in pain from where she hit the wall.

"Fuck off!" She pushed him away, thinking that it was Shizuo again trying to hurt her.

The man stumbled into the crowd behind him, eliciting curses and shouts. He paused as he stared surprised at her aggressiveness before a dark veil seemed to lower over his face, straightening his features into cold rage.

His grip returned to her arm and squeezed harshly making the girl wince in pain.

"Don't talk to me like that, bitch!" He yelled in her face, spit flying. His face, which had been pretty just a moment ago was now contorted into resembling a gargoyle on a cathedral. "Don't you know who I am?"

"Get off me!" In fact that was what Lili saw—a gargoyle come to eat her.

She mindlessly reached around her and snatched a glass out of a girl's hand and hit the gargoyle over the face with it. The glass shattered and something splattered over Lili's face, but she gave it no attention as she concentrated on nothing but fleeing.

She had to escape before she got eaten by the monster.

"Fuck! My face!" She heard it howl in pain. "Get back here you bitch! I'll fucking kill you!"

Lili ran as fast as she could, pushing people left and right, but at this point her coordination was so off that she eventually tripped and fell on her hands and knees. The redhead whimpered as she could barely see anything in front of her.

She was gonna die here, she just knew it.

Lili wanted to coil into a fetal position and bawl her eyes out. She wanted to be back home with her mom telling her that it was alright. That nothing could hurt her. It was too loud here and her body wasn't cooperating with her mind anymore.

Nobody even cared that she was on the floor, hurt. All around her were demons with fiery eyes that swayed in the current of their damning dance. They were tormenting her.

Fingers wrapped around her shaky hand, stabilizing her tumultuous mind.

"You're such a cluts." A snicker. "Here, let me help you."

Strong, lean arms wrapped around her and raised her off the ground. Lili sniffled as she clutched the person like a lifeline in a storm. The arms holding her tensed abruptly before relaxing, allowing her to lean against him.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" The _man_ whispered in her ear.

"Home." She sniffled as she wiped the tears from her blurry eyes.

"Oh?" He snickered again, this time mockingly. "Do you think you can?"

"I have to…" She slurred horribly. "There's a gargoyle chasin' me…"

The snicker turned into a full-blown laugh. "This gargoyle wouldn't be the one shouting 'bitch' on the dance floor, would it?"

Her arms tightened around his neck as she ducked her face protectively into his shoulder.

The man sighed dramatically. "Because I'm such a _good_ guy, I'll help you escape."

"Really?" She could barely make out his features except for two bright red eyes scrutinizing her with mocking derision.

"Of course." He grinned wide, his white teeth flashing dangerously.

Any other time, Lili would have stayed clear of such ominous signs, but in her current state she was just happy that anyone sympathized with her plight.

The man moved Lili in his grip until she leaned against him with her arm over his shoulder and his hand gripping her hip tightly.

"Where are your shoes?" His grinned turned incredulous at the sight of her bare feet.

"I threw them at an asshole." She grumbled as she burrowed her face in the juncture of his neck and shoulder.

"You're gonna get yourself cut up like that."

"I don't give a shit just…" Her grip on his jacket tightened. "Get me out of here, please."

From there, it was a blur. Lili felt the transition from hot, sweaty indoors to chilly and fresh outdoors, but had no idea when it happened. She just kept her eyes tightly shut as she was guided to safety by her savior.

Her world jolted as the arms around her dissapeared as she was deposited on a soft seat. She whined at the loss of contact, but the man simply chuckled as he sat next to her. A bang resounded and sweet silenced finally reigned.

"Where to?"

She heard a gruff voice ask. The man beside her responded with a familiar address that broke through the haze in her brain.

Lili spared an inquisitive half-lidded glance at her savior. "How do you know where I live?"

His smile took on an eerie aspect as his eyes narrowed into half moons. "You told me, silly. Just now."

"I did?" She scrunched her noise in remembrance, but nothing came to mind. "Huh…I don't remember."

A finger tapped her nose as if scolding a petulant child. The smile above her turned razor-sharp with a distinctive menacing touch.

"Maybe it's because of all the alcohol and _drugs_ in your system."

 _Really? I must have missed that_ , Lili mused indistinctly before her eyes closed definitely.

* * *

The door to her apartment opened and in stepped Izaya dragging a barely conscious Lili after him. Despite appearances, he was starting to struggle with her added weight as Lili all but refused to cooperate. She just slumped against him like a sack of potatoes.

"I feel…sleepy." The girl garbled horribly at this point, almost unintelligible. "Why…can't I…keep my eyes open?"

"Well, Lili-chan." Izaya grunted as he navigated through the darkened hallway, tripping lightly over a rogue boot. "That's what happens when you aren't aware of what you drink. But don't you worry your pretty little head. I'll take care of you."

The redhead then smiled drunkenly wide. "How could I _possibly_ repay my knight in black armor?"

Izaya's brow rose high as the girl miraculously found the strength to wrap her arms around his neck and cling to him.

 _Now you decide to move?_ The corner of his smile twitched in light annoyance.

"Anything works for me _except_ what you're thinking of right now." Which wasn't that hard to imagine judging by her failed attempts at being seductive.

"Why not?" She nuzzled her nose against his jaw. "Are you gay or something?"

"No, I'm simply not interested right now in the primitive needs of man and, sex, is by far the most useless of them." Izaya dramatically recanted with a woeful sigh on his lips. "I am a free spirit and I prefer not to waste time on worthless things when I could be more productive in my other endeavors."

A blank film screened over Lili's eyes.

"You didn't hear a word I said, did you?"

Her smile returned as if the last few minute had never happened, which by the look of it probably didn't. "So do you wanna or not? Because I'm ready."

He smiled patiently before turning the woman around and carefully moving her towards the bedroom like a toddler learning its first steps. "Go to bed, Lili-chan. You're starting to _bore_ me to tears."

"Okay." As they reached the edge of the bed, Lili turned her head and landed a wet, sloppy kiss on his cheek. "I'll wait for you here, _daddy_ - _kun_."

With no regret, Izaya pushed her away and the redhead crashed on the bed, unconscious before even hitting the mattress.

Izaya shuddered as he wiped the slop off his face with the back of her jacket.

 _I should have just broken into her apartment instead of going through all that trouble._

Now, finally rid of the intoxicated girl and her grubby hands, Izaya began to freely inspect her comfy little home. It seemed the typical house of a female young adult, only this one was by far messier. Clothes strewn around, ashtrays everywhere which explained the everlasting scent of tobacco permeating the air and empty bottles of juice and alcohol strategically placed. There was even some leftover pizza left to rot on the kitchen table.

 _This looks more like a frat house than a girl's apartment_.

Izaya carefully stepped across the obstacles in the living room. There was a concentrated amount of manga magazines stacked neatly near the small couch and they appeared to be the only things in the house that had some order. So, Lili indulged in the fantasy worlds of manga, did she? Somehow that reinforced this immature lifestyle she led. Moving on, Izaya found her laptop on a small coffee table and got to work on it. His smile turned into a pout as he was blocked access by the requirement of a password. He tried the obvious choices, but neither worked. Even putting his mind to it provided him no answer and to his surprise, the system warned him that he had three chances left before it locked down.

 _Hello? What is this? Since when do bartenders posses encrypted laptops?_

Mystery number one.

Izaya licked his lips in hunger for more information on this new development. What did she have behind that password that couldn't be shared with the outside? He wished he knew how to hack computers, but he wasn't that kind of information gatherer. He usually paid others to do the cyber work once his abilities failed. Too bad he couldn't take the laptop with him right now. His source would need time depending on the strength of the protective system to break through the resistance and copy everything off her computer.

 _Maybe later._

Shutting down the laptop, Izaya moved forward with his search. A small pink TV and another large one connected to a gaming station with several game cases stacked underneath the screen. The station seemed to have gathered dust as it hadn't been touched in a while.

There was a bookcase lining the wall with, _surprise_ , more manga. Izaya's eyes drifted over the spine titles with disinterest. He wasn't a fan of these pastimes, had never tried it and had no intention to since there were much more engaging things to be found in the real world. His humans never once failed to entertain him. American comic books were among the Japanese novels, along with an array of books heavily leaning towards the fantasy, adventure and horror genre.

 _The girl's not rooted to this world, apparently._

The kitchen wasn't anything interesting. The fridge was almost empty except for some junk food and microwave meals. Again, bottles of cider and flavored beer lined up the fridge door in abundance. _Obviously_ , she was fond of alcohol.

His eyes traveled shrewdly from the bottles to the bookshelf and gaming station. _What are you trying to escape from, I wonder? This gloomy life I see before me or is it something else?_

Anything else was of no interest in the small kitchen, so Izaya skipped in favor of her bedroom.

Lili was in the same position that he had left her in, snoring lightly. The man spared no noise as he searched through her drawers, but except for clothes he found nothing else.

With a sigh, he plopped on the bed next to her head. Except for the laptop nothing else had caught Izaya's interest. His eyes shifted over to the hair spilling over the edge of the bed. Twirling a strand of if he peered intently at the back of her head. Was there nothing else interesting about her beside a computer? What exactly was it about her that caught the blonde amoeba's interest? He doubted it was this messy lifestyle. Was there something he was missing than only that caveman could see? Izaya scoffed, finding that thought highly unlikely. Shizu-chan could barely see past his own limited capabilities and Izaya doubted he could peer into the souls of others.

 _How disappointing._

He flicked the ginger lock away from his fingers and his eyes landed on a picture frame by the nightstand. Picking it up, Izaya looked over it. There were three pictures—one was of her and her bartender companion, the other was a picture of a much younger Lili, maybe ten or so, with her mother and deceased father. If he remembered correctly from what information he scoured about her, her father passed when she was thirteen. A fragile and easily influenced age.

The third picture piqued his interest. It was of her mother obviously much older than the previous picture in a wedding gown, smiling happily at the camera. Even stranger was the fact that it was only half a photo as the mysterious groom seemed to have been folded away from view. Izaya didn't remember any reports that Lili's mother got remarried.

Opening the back, he pulled out the photo and unfolded it. The man was slightly younger than the ginger-haired woman and a lot more statuesque. There was no indication in those dark, guarded eyes of what emotion the man was experiencing.

The newlyweds were as assorted as day and night. While the woman seemed lively and relaxed, the man was anything but. Instead, to Izaya, he emanated a sort of danger. Almost menacing as he towered over the woman.

 _Wait._

Izaya peered closer.

 _Wait, wait, wait._

That face was familiar now that he thought better. Izaya was certain that he had seen it before, but where?

The cogs moved furiously as he tried to unfold this mystery. Something, something about that dangerous quality had the information broker on pins and needles. The answer stood on the tip of his tongue and Izaya stomped his feet juvenilely as he fished for it. Oh where, oh where had he seen that face?

A client of his perhaps? _No._

A target? _Nope._

An acquaintance? _Go fish._

Izaya paused.

Target...They alluded to bullets, and bullets came out of guns.

Maroon eyes widened incredulously as the word came to light.

Yakuza. More specifically—

 _Awakusu-kai._

He stared in awe at the picture as his brain finally matched the face with an identity. This here was Haruya Shiki, one of the MVP's of Ikebukuro's branch of yakuza. And he was married to—

 _Ah…_

"Heh."

He tittered before his voice deepened into a chuckle. From there it gradually grew until Izaya laughed loud enough to wake even the dead. Not out of surprise, but out of sheer mad delight. For this to land in his lap was nothing short of _fate_.

Vaguely, he heard the cries of a baby from the neighbors bellow and placed a hand over his mouth to smother his frenzied cackle.

"Oh, Lili-chan…" He wiped the tear from the corner of his eye as he finally regained his bearings. "And here I thought you were just another sad, drunken girl, but you're turning out to be quite _fascinating_. You, my dear little human, have caught my _complete_ attention."

At first, he had just wanted to mess around with Shizuo's head, but the chess pieces had abruptly been swiped off the board with this discovery only to be replaced with Shogi pieces. This was a whole different ballgame and one that he had every intention of playing.

Putting the photo back, Izaya placed the frame exactly in the same place as when he had picked it up.

It was time to depart. The energy provided from this discovery had his blood pumping and he had the sudden urge for a little bit of adrenaline. The next few days will be carefully measured and planned and he wanted to be in tip-top shape. He had no time to waste.

As he headed for the exit of the bedroom, a stray thought gave him pause.

"I can't pass up something like _that_." Izaya turned back with an evil underline to his grin as he ominously approached the comatose girl. His phone flicked open and the red light of the camera lit up.

"So Lili-chan, what are your thoughts on a late night photo-shoot?"

* * *

 _ **Foot Note:**_ Wild enough for ya?

Can't help but think that I've made Izaya infinitely more creepy than intended. And you know what? I'm kinda enjoying it. Kami only knows what that devil has in store for our protagonist.


	8. Morning Afters are Always the Worst

_**Author's Note:**_ So, yeah…I haven't updated in a few months _again_. Not gonna lie, I just didn't want to write for this fandom. Lost interest for a while. I'm not sure when I'll update again, but hopefully soon. That's the best I can offer.

Until then, enjoy!

* * *

"Ugh…"

A thin line of drool dribbled out of the corner of her mouth as she raised her heavy head. Her eyes were barely open and all she could see were blurry shapes and bright spots.

 _Where am I?_

Her movements were lethargic as she struggled to get into a sitting position. She had a massive headache, her stomach grumbled, her eyes stung and her mouth was dry. In a nutshell—she felt like crap.

Peering through her hazy vision, Lili noticed that her surroudings were, in fact, familiar.

 _I'm in my apartment. Huh…_

How did she get here then? Last thing she could remember was that she was dancing in the club. Yes, that was it. She had partied with Shinji and Blondie in Shinjuku. Booze, cigarettes, electro music and strobe lights. At one point they split up and…

And that was were it became foggy. She couldn't remember the rest.

Lili scratched her head in unease as a chill overcame her, making her shudder. As her mind became more and more awake, Lili finally realized why it was so cold in her own warm home.

She was in a state of undress.

 _The fuck?_ Lili's eyes widened as she looked down her body. Only her underwear was present, the rest of her clothing strewn across her bedroom floor.

It then clicked. She must have slept with someone in her drunken state.

Fuck, she couldn't believe she brought some stranger over to her home. She usually had the mind to screw at their place. This way she avoided guys who got clingy or wanted more than a one-night stand. Or worse, the assholes that left with a few of her stuff as a memorable goodbye.

Standing on shaky legs, Lili began composing a mental list of what to do in the next hour. One: get rid of her catch, two: swallow some morning after pills just to be sure, and three: find her damned phone and call Shinji who was most likely dead worried.

Walking around proved to be more troublesome. It was like her legs wouldn't cooperate, resulting in a tangled mess of flailing limbs. Lili had to hold onto objects scattered across her room to navigate, but at least she wasn't nauseaus and vomiting her stomach out.

While the corners of her vision was still hazy, most of her sight was clear as day. Outside her bedroom, there was no activity. Straining her hearing, she tried to pick up any foreign sounds, but there weren't any. Her house was empty.

 _Huh…_

Did the guy pull a 'hit and run'? Wham, bam, thank you 'mam?

Lili shrugged. Well, it wasn't like she hadn't done it to other men before. She would have at least liked to know what happened during the gaps in her memory.

Scratching underneath her boob ( _the wires from her bra left killer marks!_ ), Lili began phase two of her morning list. Her pills were located in her bathroom, so that was where she headed with lagging steps. Once she came face to face with a mirror, Lili groaned.

She looked like Death. Pale as a corpse, with dark bags underneath her eyes, crusty drool on her chin, a rat's nest of a hair and gross teeth.

"Eww."

Swallowing her pill, she directly jumped into a hot, steamy bath. She felt dirty and sticky, nothing a good scrub wouldn't fix. Now smelling like peaches, Lili began the process of removing the gunk from her teeth and giving her mouth a minty fresh smell.

Walking back into her bedroom in nothing but a towel, Lili searched for her phone and found it on her nightstand next to a folded note. Checking the hour, her eyes almost popped out of her skull.

 _It's twelve in the morning two days later!?_

Lili almost choked on her own spit. What? How? When?

How the hell had she slept through forty-eight hours without waking up once?

This was incredible. She'd been on binges before, worse than the one that night at the club, but nothing quite like this. She always woke up half a day later, no matter how bad, but never two. It was impossible!

This wasn't right. Lili began to feel an anxious churning in her stomach. Something didn't fit. What the hell had happened in that forgotten time?

Aside from the fact that she had thirteen missed calls from Shinji and one from her mother, Lili picked up the strange note. She didn't remember leaving one there.

' _Morning, Lili-chan! I had such a great time! You really know how to make a guy blush, don't you? :* You might be wondering what happened since one moment you were in a dark club and now you're back in your house in skimpy lingerie. Well, it doesn't take a genius to figure it out! ;) Call this number and let's meet up! Your friendly good Samaritan, Izaya.'_

There were some squiggles and XO's doodled around the note making it resemble an elementary girl's diary.

Lili was left speechless. Who the hell was this 'Izaya'? Was this the guy she slept with?

Oh god, she hoped not. He seemed like a clinger.

 _No…_

 _Wait._

Izaya. She knew that name. It was slightly familiar. Where did she—

Lili's eyes widdened in remembrance. He was the one that bought her her drinks. The creep she met twice, once in Neon and then in the Parade.

 _No._

 _No! Hell no!_

Lili flung herself onto her bed and buried herself into her pillow, screaming her lungs out. Him?! Of all people, she had to sleep with him? That freak?

Oh god, she was swearing right here and right now that she will never get flat-out drunk again. She will become a nun. A pious one at that. Well…she'll still smoke weed and have the occasional cider, but nothing beyond that.

 _Damn, Lili. You really outdid yourself this time._

She'd slept with some questionable people before, but this one took the cake. And, unfortunately, he seemed to be the only path to filling out the gaps in her memory. So, with great reluctancy, she pushed in the number and waited for the dial tone.

She didn't have to wait long before a sing-song voice answered.

"Hello?"

Lili griamced. He sounded like one of those morning people that wake up with sunshine in their eyes.

"It's me, the girl from the club."

"Who?"

"Lili, the bartender."

"Ah, Lola-chan!" His tone got even more hyper. He was actually enthusiastic to hear from her. "How did you get my number? This stalking business is rather too much, don't you agree? I can only endure so much."

And this was all Lili could endure this fucked up morning.

"Don't patronize me, you little troll!" The redhead hissed like a wet cat. "My name is Lili! What happened two days ago?"

"Troll? That's not what you thought when you were draping off me that night."

"I never did that!"

Pause.

"Are you sure?"

His voice this time had an impact on her. Losing all semblance of that shrilly, happy-go-lucky tone, he plunged into something low and foreboding. The kind of voice that made her hackles rise, just like back then.

—This was that scary demon she was frightened of.

"There's a sushi place in Ikebukuro called 'Russia Sushi', you know it?"

Lili cleared her throat. He was back to being his annoying self to which Lili breathed in relief. She'd rather deal with this Izaya than the other.

"I've heard of it."

"Meet me there in an hour. I can't wait to see you again. Smoochies!"

Click and the line went dead, but Lili could only look on horrified at her phone.

 _Smoochies?_

* * *

Lili stood in front of the aforementioned Russia Sushi, waiting for the bastard to be.

Around her feet there were several cigarette buds, evidence of her anxiety. It wasn't all because of the creep, but also because of the giant man handing out fliers. He was taller than even Shizuo and he spoke in a broken, harsh Japanese.

Upon first sight, he had given her three fliers and encouraged her to enter his restaurant for 'good sushi eat'. Lili tried to tell him as politely as possible that she will once the guy she expected arrived. The man smiled, gave her a thumbs up and left her in peace.

 _Thank God for small mercies._

He was pretty intimidating.

"Boo!"

Lili jumped in alarm as someone grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around like a dancer, only to come face to face with the creep with maroon eyes.

Izaya instantly began laughing, clapping as if watching a grand show.

"You should've seen your face!" He said between maniacal giggles. "It was so funny!"

Annoyed at how easily spooked she had been, she pushed him away harshly. Izaya took a few steps back, but continued giggling at a lower rate.

"Is that any way to treat a guy?" He blew her a kiss and sent her a wink. "No wonder you're single."

She swore she heard a vein pop in her skull.

"Cut it out, you bastard!"

Her shout attracted the giant's attention and he zeroed in on Izaya. The man waved to which Izaya reciprocated, but what surprised Lili was the Russian that spewed out of Izaya's mouth to which, of course, the giant understood and looked at Lili for a second before replying in even better Russian.

The giant must be a native.

 _Huh…A black russian. What were the odds?_

Lili didn't understand a thing they were talking about. The giant finished with a smile and a pointed finger towards the restaurant. Izaya took the girl's wrist and practically dragged her inside.

"Come on, that sushi won't eat itself, you know."

The interior of Russia Sushi wasn't anything spectacular, just a typical small sushi restaurant. Lili bit her lip as she kept being led around like a dog on a leash. The fact that he put his hand on her made her want to retch. Now, the only thing she could think of was what those hands had done to her. Had he been at least good? Damn, she wished she would just remember!

Closing the door on a private booth, Lili waited for Izaya to finally stop speaking with the waitress and settle down. He did and no second later the waitress came back with tea.

Needless to say, Lili wasn't in the mood for tea. In fact, she wasn't even a tea person. Maybe if it had some alcohol in it she would become an avid drinker.

Slurp.

Lili grimaced as Izaya began to loudly drink from his tea, gulping copious amounts like a cow. She wanted to slap him because of the grating noises he made. He was like a stupid little kid and she was starting to think he was doing it on purpose.

"I can't believe I slept with someone like you." She eyed him critically. This guy really wasn't her type, but when she got drunk, her pickiness went out the window. "I thought I had taste."

"Hmm?" Izaya licked his lips of the sweet liquid. "Other girls would have ripped your hair out just for the chance to lie down next to me."

She scoffed. "I'm guessing they're the ones with a few screws loose."

"Some of them can get rather… _scary_." He widdened his eyes in jest and made ghost gestures with his fingers. "You seem rather calm about all of this."

"I've slept with guys before while drunk." She shrugged indifferently. "You're not the first."

"Real party girl, huh?"

"So, what happened last night?" She pushed the obstruction named cup of tea out of her way. "How come I don't remember anything, even sleeping with you?"

Izaya gripped his chin, acting out as if he was in deep thought. He then lit up like a firework with a huge smile just to deliver the bomb.

"I believe it was because of the roofies."

Pause.

Silence.

With the speed of lightning, Izaya covered the redhead's mouth just as she parted her lips in horror.

"Before you scream your bushy head off, listen to everything. I didn't roofie you, the guy you were dancing with did. But don't worry, I got you out of there before you could pass out entirely." A strange grin overcame him, one that sparked an ember of fear. "You escaped your _horrible_ fate."

Lili was still frozen in despair as her mind proccessed what she just learned in the last few seconds. Roofied? Her? What?

 _Oh God…_ That's why she couldn't remember anything. She'd been drugged! And she knew for what purpose.

—She was going to be sick.

"W-Who?" She swallowed dryly.

"Don't you remember that punk you were dancing so _provocatively_ with?"

She raked her brains. There was something. A few flashes of a handsome Japanese man, probably a few years older than her. She was grinding against him and he kept buying her drinks and whispering sweet nothings. She had wanted to spend the night with him, but then…everything became hazy. She could remember blinding lights, fresh air mingled with cigarette smoke and locks of bleached blonde hair.

"Vaguely."

A thin, sly smile spread leisurely over his lips. "Well, he remembers you _clearly_. After you so graciously grinded your ass against his pelvis and drank the drinks he bought for you, you _did_ smash a cocktail glass over his face."

"I never did that!" She yelled indignant before hushing down, afraid of anyone listening in.

She would never do that. Lili was a chickenshit when it came to fighting. She never had it in her to hit someone else that's why she always got beat up during her school and high-school years. Even when she tried to fight back, she lost. Badly.

"Witnesses at the club say otherwise. Also, you should be careful from now on." His patronizing tone was not lost to her. "The punk you cut up is a dangerous individual. You sure know how to pick 'em."

At this point, Lili was beyond terrified, confused and helpless.

"Ask the girl bartender you're friendly with if you don't believe me. She saw it too." He took another sip of his tea, unperturbed.

Lilio sat dumbfounded. How…the hell…did she get in this situation?

 _Wait._

"How do you even know he roofied me?" She glared suspiciously. He would have had to seen it or…maybe he provided the drug to the guy.

Her eyes narrowed viciously. The anger was coiling around in her stomach, ready to be bubble up to the surface.

"Saw him slip something in the drink before giving it to you. Doesn't take a genius to figure out what."

That meant he had been watching her from a distance all night. Cold waves of sweat rolled over her skin. The thought of being stalked by this man was infinitely worse than getting drugged. Her gut told her that this person before her was something beyond her understanding. Something that defied the notions of good and evil, right and wrong.

Right at that moment, the waitress came back with their food, but the sight and stench of salmon and other fish meat rolled up in rice had her dry heave. This was not the time to eat, but Izaya didn't seem to think so. He was gobbling up his fatty tuna like a starved boar.

"You said that nothing happened to me after I hit the guy. Then…" She frowned still as confused as ever. Her head was full of facts and suspicions and she didn't know what to believe anymore. "How did I end up with _you_?"

"Well, I saw you run away from the guy and I offered to take you home." He spoke through a cheekfull of tuna. "You were so out of it that you wouldn't have survived out there in Shinjuku on your own. You probably would have ended up as a worker at a hostess club."

"And you 'saved' me out of the goodness of your heart?" She doubted that.

"I saw a girl in need and I offered my help, nothing more. You're the one who took my hand. I didn't force you."

Her eyes narrowed. "And I'm guessing I'm also the one who wanted to sleep with you."

"Pretty much, but I never let it go that far."

"What?" Her mind blanched. "But you just—"

He wagged a finger as if she were a petulant child. "No, _you_ said that I slept with you. I never said that."

The fuse reached the bomb.

"What the fuck?!" Lili screeched. She was seconds away from crying out of frustration and he was laughing at her. "Do you think this is a joke?!

"If it is, it's a rather unamusing one." He pointed his chopstick at her, still as nonchalant as ever. "For you, I mean."

Horror was written all over her face, but underneath that anger and mortification there was _relief_.

"So, we didn't…" She made some rude gestures that Izaya sniffed indignantly at.

"Nope. I'm not in the habit of sleeping with roofied girls. They're too corpsey."

 _Oh God._

Lili grimaced in disgust as she picked up her bag to leave. She was more disgusted with herself than him. To get in such a fucked up situation was humiliating and beneath her. This guy was just laughing at her horrible predicament. She needed to get back on track and fix this clusterfuck before it got worse.

She had been roofied, but not used. That was all that she wanted to know. That was the only thing important.

"Come on, don't leave." Izaya said as he gulped down his chow. "We're just getting to know each other."

Lili glared at him. _He has some nerve…_

"Don't you want help concerning your problem?"

She bared her teeth in defense. "How could _you_ possibly help me?"

"For starters, my profession is information." His eyes twinkled with shrewd delight. "I'm an information broker."

"Really?" Her hand went slack on the sliding screen, intrigued. A broker could come in handy.

"Yup, I can tell you everything you want about that guy." He turned into his seat and leaned back against the low table, grinning like the cat that ate the canary. "Or more importantly how to avoid him." His eyebrows wiggled as his grin grew even more devilish. "Still want to leave?"

Her mind told her to stay, to pry as much information out of him as possible. To use him up and leave him dry as a prune. This way she could get ahead of everyone. Be one step above anyone who wanted to hurt her, but her gut was telling her to leave this man's presence. To stay away from him. He was the snake in the Garden of Eden and was leading her into temptation and darkness.

And we all know what happened to Eve. Bitch got the boot and fell onto the shittiest place in the universe—Earth.

Fly, don't fight. That was what her gut was telling her.

And for once she heeded it.

"Look, thanks for everything, but I don't need help." She opened the screen, ready to never see this devious dickhead again. "I can take care of my own problems."

Izaya shrugged after a thoughtful moment, never losing that wily shine in is eyes. Almost as if he knew a secret she didn't. "If you say so. But in the event that you do change your mind, give me a call."

 _Like hell!_

* * *

" _Hello?"_

"Kimi, it's Lili."

The redhead was on the tube heading for Shinji's house. She was still shaken up about her earlier encounter with Izaya. She had been in such a hurry that she forgot to ask him why she had been almost naked if they hadn't had sex.

"Did I really hit some guy with a cocktail glass yesterday?"

" _Shit, girl. You went batshit crazy on him! I've never seen that side of you before. You can get pretty wild you know that?"_

"I don't, that's the problem. I was drunk and a whole other things."

" _You better hope you were because that guy you hit, his name is Ishida Daisuke. He's the son of the Ishida group here in Shinjuku and they are_ major _yakuza players in this ward."_

Lili's eyes widdend.

… _Yakuza…_

"Fuck."

" _Fuck is right, girl. Daisuke needed stitches for the cuts and he's on the warpath. He's crazy angry because you ruined his face and for a narcissist like him, it means you pretty much cut out his soul and took a big, steaming pile of shit on it. He's already got your face on the cameras and he's even questioned me because he saw I talked to you!"_

At this point, the frenzy was almost palpable within her. No wonder Izaya was so pleased. The fucker already knew who the guy had been and was probably laughing his ass off at her mess. "What did you tell him, Kimi? Did you fucking tell him that you know me?"

" _Hell no! Do you think I'm an idiot? I just told him that you were flirting with me for some free drinks and then some guy offered to buy your booze."_

"What else, Kimi?" Lili began biting her nails in nervousness, thinking of prices for plane tickets as far away as Japan as possible.

" _Nothing. Look, he doesn't even know which ward you're from. My advice—stay out of Shinjuku until the heat dies down. Don't come to here again, Lili, if you value your life and mine. I just lied to yakuza and that could get me killed! Stay out of sight and out of mind."_

"I will." Lili let her head drop in to her palm. She was up shit's creek without a paddle.

A thought then invaded her mind. "Kimi…That guy that bought me drinks, does he frequent the club?"

" _That was the first time I saw him."_

 _Shit._

"Did he say anything to you?"

" _Nothing important. Just that he wanted to buy you your drinks."_

She sighed despondently. This mysterious Izaya eluded her again.

"Thanks, Kimi."

" _Be safe, girl."_

She shut her phone, more scared than ever.

* * *

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Hey, you in there?" Lili yelled through the door, hoping to all that was holy that Shinji was home.

She needed a safe place to figure out her mind and her apartment was too quiet for her to be in. She needed a friend's advice. Also, she just wanted to vent her anger and despair to someone who'd listen without interrupting.

The door opened so suddenly that Lili almost crashed into an obviously flustered beyond recognition Shinji.

"Where the hell were you?!" He laid it out on her without pause, wide eyed and angry. "You know how worried I was when you didn't answer your phone or the door? I called you thirteen times! I thought you got chopped up and dumped into a trashcan somewhere! I almost called the police!" He slapped her over the side of her frizzy head. "You can't worry people like that, dumbass!"

"Can you shut up, please?" She pushed him away, chocking on her words.

Shinji paused as he saw the fresh unspilled tears swimming in her eyes. She looked ready to curl into a ball and cry her soul out.

"I did a stupid thing Shinji." She sniffed as she had no more reason to hold her guard up. "Oh god, I did a _really_ stupid thing."

"Lili, you're scaring me."

The moment the first tear rolled down her cheek was when Shinji gently guided her inside and settled her on his small couch. His apartment was no bigger than hers with the difference of being overtly clean and impecably tidy.

Lili didn't know how much time she spent crying, but someone she cared about was with her and that was all that mattered. She wasn't alone. Shinji held her hand throughout her despair, letting her cry on his shoulder and wet his T-shirt with tears, drool and snot.

As soon as her turmoil subsided, she retold the entire story to her friend. All except for Izaya. She didn't want him to know about that man.

"He roofied you?!" Shinji bellowed. "What the fuck!?"

"He didn't get to _that_ part!" Lili tried to calm the med student down. "I got out of the club after I hit him and went home. I must've passed out on the bed."

"Bullshit! E, combined with alcohol and date-rape drugs would have had you unconscious like a rock in fifteen minutes flat, maybe less. You would have never gotten back on your own." His eyes narrowed gravely. "There's something you're not telling me."

Lili shifted in her seat and fidgeted nervously. She didn't want to lie to him, but she didn't want to expose him to that creep. "Look, a guy took me home, but we didn't have sex!"

"Who?"

"Some guy I met at the club."

Shinji was stupefied.

Lili understood him perfectly. She was an idiot.

"He offered help and I took it."

"How do you know that _he_ didn't rape you?"

"No traces. I didn't feel here," She indicated her vagina, "that I had sex. I usually feel sore and I didn't. Also, he said so himself and I kinda trust him on that." Now that she thought about it, Izaya had seemed rather repulsed of the idea of him and her together in that way. It was actually kind of insulting. Who did he think he was? Adonis?

 _Pfft._

Shinji gasped, ready to pull out his hair. "You fucking met with him again?! Are you out of your mind?"

"I needed to know what happened! He said nothing did, he took me home and that was it." _And I somehow ended up in my underwear._

"Why?"

"I still don't know." He wasn't the good Samaritan he appointed himself to be. Izaya seemed the kind of guy who would start a fight with strangers then leave you to handle them, just to see how you would react.

"Well congratulations, idiot. You just got indebted to some dickhead. What could he _possibly_ ask of you?" He spread his arms derisively. "I guess I won't be surprised when I find out you've been jailed for being a drug mule or a prostitute." He groaned and let his head fall into his hands. "This isn't happening. Goddammit, why didn't I stick with you?"

"Don't start blaming yourself, Shinji." She lit up a cigarette and tasted the sweet nicotine. Now that she unburdened herself, Lili felt lighter…and strangely empty. "This was my fucking fault."

"I'm the one that insisted we go out and party, and look what happened!" Shinji wailed to the heavens. "You were drugged and rap—"

"I _wasn't_." She stressed through gritted teeth.

"Fuck, Lili." He caught her shoulder in a vice-grip, giving her a rattle back to reality. "Just because you didn't feel it, doesn't mean it didn't happen. You think after all this times, guys haven't figured out a way to fuck unconscious girls without them noticing? Ever heard of condoms? They don't leave traces of semen, dumbass! And you don't even remember what happened! Did you at least take some morning-after pills?"

"Of course." _Just in case_. "But I _believe_ him. That guy is strange as hell and kind of an asshole, but he seemed to be genuine."

Shinji sighed as he dropped back onto his couch, exhausted. He couldn't believe he was more freaked out than her and it didn't even happen to him.

"I feel sick." He stole Lili's cigarette and took a deep drag out of it. "How the hell are you so calm?"

She looked at him like he grew a second head. Wasn't she just crying a moment ago? "I'm not calm, Shinji. I'm barely keeping myself together from screaming my lungs out. I'm just glad that I didn't become one of _those_ girls. I avoided a really messy situation. And I'm not out of this yet. Yakuza, remember?"

"Fuck, Lili." He massaged his tired features. "This is bad. Really bad."

"I know." She joined him and they both laid there like silly-putty, smoking that one cigarette away.

"It's not like there are a lot of female foreigners in Tokyo with red hair." Shinji said after a pause.

"I _know_ , Shinji." Lili stressed. They could find her at any moment now. "He's gonna find me and he's gonna kill me."

"Don't say that!" He slapped her once again over the head.

"That's how they work." Lili's voice was oddly hollow. "You offend them and the off you. They're animals with no empathy."

"We'll find a way to get through this." Shinji snuffed what was left of the cigarette and puffed up his chest in bravery. But Lili knew. He was just as terrified as her. "We'll beat this together, so don't give up yet like a crybaby."

Lili wasn't so convinced.

"Hey." She didn't want to think about yakuza anymore. She wanted her mind to be filled with ponies and pixies instead. She wanted to avoid real life because it was too much to deal with. "What happened to you and Blondie?"

"I got together with some guy. I thought you left with Shizuo since I couldn't find either of you, but when you didn't answer the phone I got suspicious and called Blondie. He said he hadn't seen you since that night." Shinji frowned in thought. "He seemed pretty tense now that I think about it."

"Huh…"

* * *

It was late at night. Traffic had become scarce in the neighborhood and only the occasional dog could be heard barking at a stray cat or sound only it could hear.

Lili was tapping away like mad on her laptop. She had numerous papers strewn across the low table in her living room, all with her hand writing. She was searching for information, anything that would help her stay alive.

Midnight struck signifying that she had been glued to the screen for the past five hours. Her eyes actually stung and watered, but it paid off. Articles on suspicions of manslaughter and gambling rings, all pointing out to Ishida Daisuke. She had thought about breaking into police files, but her rational stopped her. She had tried that once a year ago and almost got caught. She wasn't confident enough that she'll get out scot free once she broke through the databases' protection.

So, she shifted her attention to the man's younger years. School files, college years. The man actually had good grades, whether the product of his own intelligence or his 'family's' influence, Lili didn't know. But he had anger issues. Fights and brutal beat-downs through his high-school years and even some in college, which eventually led him to quit mid-year.

"I'm fucked."

Lili sagged against her couch, letting the cigarette dangle limply between her lips.

In the dimness of her home, her eyes caught sight of her phone's lit screen as it charged and only one person came to mind.

 _Should I call_ him _?_

Lili swallowed drily. The man could help her, it was his domain after all, but the thought of asking him for help held her back. If he got involved it would become worse since her mother would find out and Lili couldn't have that. She didn't want her mother to know how much of a degenerate she was. She'd rather have her mother just think of her as lazy.

The readhead sighed as her mind raced to someone she had tried to call for help.

 _Shizuo…_

He wasn't answering her calls. She'd tried thrice and nothing. It just kept on ringing. Was he avoiding her or did he really not hear his phone?

 _No._

It was better if she just let this all mellow down. If _he_ got into this they'll be a world of hurt waiting for her and Shizuo couldn't do much to help either.

 _Right?_


	9. Get Down and Dirty

_Abeko: Hey, did anyone hear about the incident in Kabukicho, Shinjuku two days ago?_

 _Setton: No. What happened?_

 _Abeko: Apparently a foreigner cut up a yakuza member in club Red Dot. And get this, foreigner's a girl._

 _Gaki: Really? Did she make it out alive?_

 _Abeko: I think so. Anyone here from Shinjuku hear about that?_

 _Nakura: I did. Pretty crazy! :P Yakuza guy is pretty pissed off. He's on the warpath. The streets are littered with yakuza men searching. Things are pretty wild. :))_

 _Setton: I feel sorry for her. I hope she doesn't get caught._

 _Nakura: I don't know. Heard the girl has red hair and freckles. I think I can count on one hand the number of foreigners that fit that description in Tokyo. I don't think she stands a chance. :D_

 _Setton: That's not something to smile at…_

 _Gaki: A teenager with red hair and freckles, huh?_

 _Nakura: Oh? I never said she was a teenager. Gaki, do you know something I don't? ;)_

Tense fingers paused over the keyboard.

 _Gaki: Just an educated guess. Older ladies don't frequent clubs and even if they did, they're smart enough to not get involved with yakuza._

Fingers relaxed.

 _Setton:_ Is _she a teen?_

 _Nakura: 20-ish, I say. Thing is, I don't think she's from Shinjuku. I know everyone here and nobody fits that description, except for one ginger but he's like 50 with a beer belly._

 _Gaki: So, she's from the other wards._

 _Nakura: That's what I think. ;)_

Fingers paused over the keyboard again as a message box appeared.

 _Nakura wants to have private chat. Allow or refuse?_

Brow furrowed.

 _Allow._

 _Nakura: How do you know about this incident? Are you from Shinjuku also?_

 _Abeko: Heard it from a friend over there. Thought it was pretty crazy._

 _Nakura: I know right? That girl must be either really brave or really stupid to mess around with yakuza. :)_

Fingers poised into claws.

 _Abeko: Or she had a good reason to fuck that guy up. It was a club, after all. Dark shit happens._

 _Nakura: I heard! People get psychodelics and all sorts of uppers. Girls even get roofied! That's why I stay away from clubs. Nasty places._

Fingers tap against the table anxiously.

 _Abeko: Good for you, I guess. So, how bad was his face? Do you know?_

 _Nakura: Really bad. I heard the yakuza guy has an ugly scar across his face and that's going to stay for the rest of his life. There goes his looks. Shame, really. He was handsome._

 _Abeko: I wouldn't know._

 _Nakura: Girl's in BIG trouble. :)_

 _Abeko: Maybe…Hey, I got to go. Talk to you later, alright?_

 _Nakura: Sure thing!_

Abeko disconnected.

Lili leaned on her couch and massaged her face. She was seriously swimming in a gutter full of shit.

* * *

Lili spat the small chunk of nail she managed to bite off in her anxiety. She'd been in constant alert since yesterday and it was starting to upset her stomach. On her way to work, she had thrown up half-digested food in a fit of nervousness. It didn't help that a dirty, grizzled hobo had watched her the entire time, unblinking and unmoving.

The enormous room felt like a coffin, closing in on her and at any moment, crush he—

"You alright?"

Lili's head snapped in the direction of the lounging Shinji, eyeing her with a worried frown.

"What do you think?" She barked irritably. "I'm marked for life."

"Don't get so dramatic." He waved off her theatrics. "Ikebukuro is half an hour away from Shinjuku by metro. The guy's gonna be looking into his resident ward than outside of it. It will all blow over soon enough, trust me."

"I don't know, Shinji." Lili sighed as she raked her messy hair. "I get the feeling that I just stirred up a hornet's nest."

That feeling one gets in the pit of their stomach, like an approaching earthquake that you are unable to escape. That was what Lili was feeling at the moment and was causing her so much distress. The slumbering beast known as Tokyo just shifted and the ripples were neverending.

"Well…" Shinji rolled his cigarette around his mouth before a smile spread lazily. "If you die, dibs on your Ipod."

"I knew you were just a material 'girl'."

"It's a material world, sweetheart."

Lili smiled in amusement. She was glad to see Shinji back to his old self and not stewing in anger over her self-inflicted problems. He was a constant for her, her anchor to reality. Shinji being Shinji was the only thing sane in her fucked up world.

Both bartenders quickly turned at the sound of the front doors opening.

"Oh, here comes Blondie."

Shizuo strolled across the obsidian marble floor with his backpack thrown carelessly across his shoulder. In his hand there was a pair of high-heeled shoes the color of coals.

 _Huh?_

"Yo, Bloooondieee!" Shinji waved like a maniac in heat, that goofy grin spread across his cheeks. "Up here is where the cool kids are!"

Shizuo froze in surprise, but once his eyes connected with Lili's, they fell so silent that the girl could feel it deep in her bones. The giant climbed the spiral stairs and Lili straightened her spine, feeling the chill prickle her skin.

 _Something's not right._

Stopping next to the couches were the bartender duo was lounging, Shizuo awkwardly scratched the back of his head and avoided any eye contact. With fumbling steps, he pushed the pair of black pumps into Lili's hands to her utter confusion.

Lili's brows scrunched as she recognized the pair.

 _Aren't these mine?_

"You forgot these that night." Shizuo responded to her silent question.

It dawned on Lili that she had indeed felt the loss of her shoes. She had searched for them around her apartment with no avail and at one point even thought that Izaya stole them for whatever sick reason. But all this time they had been in Shizuo's possession, and the only question she had was—

"Why did you have them?"

His honey eyes regarded her in confusion before they morphed into apathy.

"You already know, why ask."

He marched back down the stairs, not even turning back when Shinji shouted after him.

Both Shinji and Lili were struck in mute disbelief. What just happened?

"It seems yakuza boy isn't the only one you pissed off." Shinji scoffed in amused incredulity.

Lili couldn't understand what was happening anymore. She didn't remember talking or even seeing Shizuo after she met that yakuza man on the dancefloor. Something vital must have happened because he was avoiding her again.

"What did I do to him?" She looked to Shinji for answers, hoping he had any.

But her friend was as dumbfounded as her. "Maybe you went down on him and it was sloppy?"

A slap over the back of his head was her answer.

"That's not funny, dickhead!"

She glared at the impossible jester, before her attention riveted back to the bleached blonde. He had disappeared into the back rooms and she knew where.

Jumping off the couch and throwing the pair into Shinji's lap, she skipped the steps down by the double as she ran. She had to know more. Perhaps Shizuo knew what had happened and she had a right to those facts, dammit!

"Don't do anything stupid!"

 _Pfft._

When was the last time she ever heeded that sort of advice?

* * *

Lili opened the door to the locker room and was relieved to find only Blondie there. The last thing she needed was an audience if there was going to be anything nasty happening.

"Blondie?" She approached him carefully as he sat on the bench and changed shoes. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

 _Yeah, right._

If he'd been anymore rigid in his words, his jaw would have snapped in half. In fact, to Lili it seemed like his whole body was in total lockdown. He was so tense a breath of air would crack him. Did she have that sort of effect on him or was this a different problem all together?

"No, you're definitely not." She crossed her arms over her chest in a huff. "What's wrong?"

The man stopped in his furious shoelace tying and exhaled through his clenched teeth.

"Are you serious?" He observed her irritably. "Is this a game to you?"

"I…" Lili frowned, unable to grasp what he was aiming at. "Huh?"

Shizuo rose to a stand in a blink of an eye, startling Lili. The moment he came towards her, the redhead broke out into a sweat. Her brain made it its purpose to remind her how easily he had thrown around those armed men without even a bruise and how easily he could break her if he wanted to.

Lili felt small as she was backed away into one of the lockers with Shizuo caging her in, barring her from escaping. There was such an oppressive mood in the air that Lili couldn't even open her mouth to scream. She felt utterly trapped between his arms. And for once she wasn't turned on by that thought.

"Stay the hell away from me." The blonde growled like a lion, ready to pounce and devour its prey. "You're crazy. I don't know if it the alcohol or drugs or both, but I don't want anything to do with you anymore."

"I don't understand." She stared into those honey eyes with knee-shaking fear.

"Like hell you don't!" His palms crashed against the lockers, the impact jarring the metal and making it groan. "I know I'm not the brightest guy around, but even I know when I'm being played around for an idiot. One moment your nice and the other your some crazy harpy out of Hell. I don't need that kind of shit in my life. I already got enough."

 _What the hell was going on?_ That was all Lili could think of at the moment. There must be a reason for Shizuo to be this angry with her. Had she done or said something to him that night that resulted into this livid beast before her? Hour by hour, her life seemed to spiral into complete chaos and all Lili could do was watch as it all crash and burned.

Her body began shaking hysterically.

First, she couldn't remember anything that happened that night. Second was Izaya making horrible jokes and generally taunting her with his nasty attitude, and now this. Blondie blaming her for something she had no recollection of. All of it came crashing down before her head, Shizuo's outburst serving as the last spark to lit the gasoline and petrol dosed logs.

 _I never felt so powerless before._

Tears sprung to her eyes.

 _This is insane. I want my mom._

Shizuo's irate expression cracked.

She had never wanted this. Lili had just wanted a night of fun, but instead she got served first-seat tickets at a horror show. What the hell had she done to deserve this?

Sniffle.

This wasn't fair. She wanted everyone to leave her alone. They were all just bastards wanting to hurt her.

Especially the one before her.

"Just…" Shizuo's voice faltered as behind that anger, worry overflowed in his golden irises. "Just stay away, alright?"

He left her alone.

Lili sniffed and wiped away the accumulated tears. It felt so cold here, alone. She never noticed that before. Looking behind her, she winced at the indents left behind by Shizuo's strength. He hadn't even struck the metal that hard and already there were deep depresses into it.

If he had used that 'light tap' on her, he would have most likely fractured a few bones.

She wanted to cry even more now.

 _This is all so fucked up._

* * *

It was almost seven in the morning when she reached her neighborhood.

Work had been awkward as she had predicted after her confrontation with Shizuo. She had barely been able to do her job all night because her focus had been on the man gathering the dirty glasses and replenishing the fridges. After her outburst of tears and anguish, Lili had resorted to resentment to hide her melancholy and acted out like the harpy he described her to be. Every mistake Shizuo made she accentuated them to Nagasaki-Hiroshima asshole levels. She belittled and insulted him at every opportunity and he never once said anything back which only aggravated her already disturbed temper.

At that time, she hadn't felt any shame for her actions. They had been righteous in her eyes.

But now, in the coolness of the morning, she felt like a turd left on the sidewalk. And this feeling made her hate herself. Why should she be sorry? He was the one that started it with his craziness and he wouldn't even explain what she had done to garner such hatred. Try as she might she couldn't remember and he didn't even want to hear her real excuse.

She needed a distraction. She had had the most fucked up day and she wanted nothing more than to forget it ever happened.

And there was only one way she knew how.

On the way to her house, she made a slight detour.

The park was abandoned as always in the early hours of the day save for the posse of young teenagers doing tricks on their skateboards and smoking cigarettes. Once the purple haired boy spotted her, his pleasant mood dropped and he watched her with a wary gaze.

Strange, but it wasn't the first time people looked at her that way, so Lili didn't attribute it to much.

"Hey, punk. Got something papery and expensive for you." She rubbed her thumb with her index and middle finger, a sly grin splitting her lips.

"No can do, Freckles."

Lili frowned. "You out?"

That would just make her day.

"No, just can't sell you anything."

 _Eeeeh?_

 _Say what now?_

"W-What?" Lili sputtered, feeling indignant. "Why?"

The boy sighed as he scratched the back of his head. He wished he was anywhere but here at the moment, but his hands were tied. With a flick of his wrist, he threw her a small crumpled note. Lili caught it and gave him the most honest to God 'wtf' look ever imagined.

"He gave me this for you in case you came by again."

" _He_?"

The boy shoved his hands into his pocket, looking away disgruntled. "Just read it."

Lili opened the note:

 _Hello, Lili-chan._

 _I hear through the grapevine about this 'fine' young human being operating in this area and I'm appalled that you would go to him. He has sloppy goods at best. As an information broker, don't you think I have the knowledge on such people? :'( So sad. I felt like it was my duty to redirect this poor, misguided child to other pastures. You want goodies, you come to me._

 _You favorite being in the world, Izaya. Hugs and kisses._

The birds chirped their early morning chorus. A dog barked in the distance no doubt disturbed by some pesky cat. Every now and then, a car's engine could be heard before it faded into the distance.

Sniff. Sniff.

 _Yep. That's the smell of my brain having fried._

The note crumpled even further as Lili all but demolished it in her tight fist. Instead of anger, a large smile illuminated her face. It was painful to watch as the falseness of it could be seen from a mile away.

"What the fuck is this?" She asked through clenched teeth.

 _That…bastard…_

The boy put up his hands, slightly startled by the older girl's response. She looked like one of those deranged tramps he saw sleeping around this park. "I'm just the messenger and I'm not screwing around with that guy. He's… _messed_ up."

His face scrunched up and his whole body shuddered in remembrance of their meeting.

 _I'm gonna kill that freak!_

Lili couldn't believe this! Izaya had some balls to screw with her around like this. This was beyond some prank. He actually got interested enough to find the nearest source of marijuana in the area and put them off selling her anything. This was toeing a line even she couldn't condone! What the hell was his problem? They were practically strangers, so why this interest.

Lili shifted uncomfortably. Considering the man himself probably wasn't all healthy in the head, he may have developed some bizarre fascination with her.

Dammit! She shouldn't have talked to him. She should have just ignored his jabs and treated him like any other horny client. They usually got bored and left her alone when they saw she wouldn't bite the bait.

Now what was she supposed to do? She really wanted some weed. This was the only way for her to relax fully and now was one of those times that required it forthwith.

"Come on, kid." She smiled coquettishly and batted her lashes prettily. She couldn't believe she was performing this 'foxy' act for some kid that probably didn't even have hair on his balls yet. "Don't be such a pussy."

The kid wasn't moved by her attempts at seduction. "Sorry, but I value myself more than what I sell."

Lili's eyes narrowed into slits. Anything that resembled amiability evaporated from her being leaving only that pissed off woman from this night. She was cranky and weed deprived and she didn't want to hear another refusal thrown her way.

Enough was enough.

"You know what? I don't want anything from you, you little turd. I should've known dealing with snot-nosed gnomes like you never would have ended well. All it takes is some skinny guy threatening you with telling mommy and all that 'bad boy' image crumbles to dust."

"Piss off, bitch!" The boy growled, his features contorting horribly, both in embarrassment and anger. "You're the one with the psychotic boyfriend!"

Lili's eyes widened with hellfire. "He's not my boyfriend! So take this," She showed them her middle finger. "And shove it up your ass!"

Pivoting on her foot, she marched out of that kiddy park, even more angry than when she entered. The nerve of these brats…Their parents should have been more severe with them. What happened to the good old days when you could beat the shit out of your kid? Maybe then those brats wouldn't have become such disrespectful little demons.

She could just call the cops on them. Have them sent to juvy for selling weed. It would be just what they needed to have them straightened out.

Sigh.

 _Fuck them._ _Those brats are small fry._ She should direct her anger to the one responsible for her difficulties in procuring that green plant.

And that's what she will do. If that crazy fucker thought he could just do what he wanted he was in for a wake up call.

It seemed today will be one of those sleepless days. She was so fired up right now with righteous anger that the thought of sleep or even relaxing after a day's hard work was a distant concept. It was high time for her bitchy side to come out and do some damage.

* * *

Lili took in a deep breath. Before her was the Russian giant, distributing fliers as always to the fearful passing pedestrians. That large smile was ever present on his face, but that didn't seem to ease the civilians as they quickened their pace and only accepted his fliers out of sheer anxiety.

The giant was genuine, though. He was happy whenever someone accepted his fliers and his face really lit up upon ushering people into Russia Sushi.

A real smile in a sea of false ones. Lili was all too familiar with the different facades of a smile. She was an expert in using them, especially at work when dealing with people she on a regular basis detested.

"Uhm, sir?"

Some might wonder what Lili was doing here at Russia Sushi so out of her way from home. Unfortunately, she realized just as she entered her apartment that she did not have Izaya's family name and so, it rendered her search moot. The last thing she wanted was to scour all of Tokyo's residents profiles that had the name Izaya. It would take too much time that she did not have the patience for.

This giant was the only person she knew that had a notion of who this mysterious Izaya was.

Simon turned and Lili swallowed thickly as his bulky frame overshadowed her willowy one entirely. She felt like a tiny mouse before a Slav lion.

It took a few seconds of scrunched eyes and 'hmms' before Simon recognized the redhead.

"You _his_ date!" His face lit up like fireworks. "You eat sushi. Good, yes?"

"Yeah, delicious." Lili said politely with one of her best fake smiles. _Don't upset the big black Russian or you might just get splattered on the nearest wall._ "Could I ask you something, sir? Pretty please."

He nodded.

"That guy I was with, the one you spoke to in Russian…"

"Yes?"

"What's his last name?"

"Orihara."

 _Well…that went easier than expected._

"Thank you so much!" She bowed low in appreciation.

Simon simply nodded with that large cheery smile and gave her a thumbs up.

Just as she turned to leave, she heard Simon speak and his voice was noticibly different. More grave.

"Watch yourself." This time that warm smile was nowhere to be seen. His lips were set in a straight line with a small frown between his brows. He was worried. "Izaya is…not good person."

Lili bit her lip apprehensivly.

Just _who_ exactly was this Orihara Izaya?

* * *

Hacking into Izaya's computer had been relatively difficult. This measure of security had some IT guy's prints all over it. But have no fear, dear people, because Lili was no greenhorn.

With a whoop of triumph and a hive five with herself, she entered the monster's lair.

Fairly basic was Izaya's system. No excess of programs, his desktop was neatly organized with just a few files. Information brokers were not exactly her area of expertise, but from what she'd read in manga and seen in movies they're these introverted, nerdy guys that have more of a relationship with their computers than with people. But considering that Izaya did not fit any of those stereotypes, it was safe to say that she could expect the unexpected.

Lili was no fool. She _knew_ there was more than what met the eye. This Izaya was a cunning cookie and as she said, a dickhead. He thrived on taunting people as she recently put together. He must have set up some traps in his system. Something to put off anyone attempting to pry in.

But Lili knew where to look and where to stay clear of. She had done this a hundred times before and through experience had gathered enough knowledge on how to properly conduct herself in such delicate situations.

Finding Izaya's IP address had been the other troublesome part. Like a mole, his virtual fingerprints had been buried deep into the cyberspace. There was no known or signed address in his name. Clever and cautious. He must have made some enemies in his time if he's so guarded about his residence.

From his family name, she had pinpointed an address to a house owned by Shirou and Kyouko Orihara. His parents. From there she had learned of the existence of younger siblings, twins to be exact—Mairu and Kururi. She had to hack into the girls' computer to find a trace of Izaya and from there she followed the bread crumbs to his PC.

The girl took a slurping sip out of her cranberry flavored beer as she smoked cigarette after cigarette.

Once passed Izaya's meager second security, the redhead found many different files about people, all arranged by name and date. Their measures, hobbies, frequented locations, jobs, family and friends. Practically a chart and diary. Neither had any connection to each other outside their respective file. There were even some company names. Some she recognized and some she didn't.

 _This must be his work._

He had dozens of documents, some as old as a few years. Just how old is he? How long as he been working as a broker?

A thought entered her brain that sent a chill of uneasiness down her spine.

Did he have a file on her?

She searched for her name and with a groan, she found it.

—It was empty.

No measures, no family, no friends. Nothing. Not even a word. Just her name on it.

She didn't like this. Half because he had a freaking file on her ( _creep!_ ), and the other because her empty document was placed in a file tagged as Hobby. She wasn't work for him, but a goddamn pastime!

There weren't many names alongside her own, but there was one that widened her eyes to dimes and had her lightly choke on nicotine smoke.

Heiwajima Shizuo.

 _What the—?_

Everything was there. Every bit of information on the blonde giant including his current work place and his association with her.

 _The fuck is going on here? Why is Izaya interested in Shizuo?_

As she read through the file, she came upon a sentence that shed some light on the whole ordeal—The first time I met the amoeba was in Raira Acamdey High School—

 _Raira?_

From there it began. She switched to her tablet and looked through the copies she made of the Raira students that shared Shizuo's year. And there she found him…

 _Orihara Izaya._

It dawned on her then as a new wave of dread washed over. She'd seen Izaya's name before.

Opening Shizuo's Raira file she found him as the main provocateur of all the fights the blonde had participated in. Izaya had been Shizuo's colleague in high school.

 _Holy…shit…_

Lili slumped back into her sofa, wide-eyed and bewildered.

She felt both mentally exhausted and freshly invigorated. She hadn't felt this thrilled in such a long time that she had actually forgotten what it meant to feel anything other than annoyance or apathy. It was like her heart had been jump-started by a 330 volt horse.

 _Oh mama. This feels awesome!_

Better than any drug she'd ever taken.

But with the rush of adrenaline came the inevitable loss of it. Dread overcame her once again as she revised every bit of information she had on this Izaya—he knew Shizuo. Personally even. Maybe even as enemies. Was that why he had appeared at Angels? Or in Shinjuku? Had he been following him like some fucked up stalker? And was she just a casualty of their animosity?

Lili lit up a new cigarette as questions rolled around in her head like a Bingo wheel.

—What caused this hostility between them? Why did it last this long? Who started it? Why was she now Izaya's target? She was nothing to Shizuo, they barely knew each other. And yet, he had his beady little ferret eyes on her while drool rolled down his chin.

If that wasn't the definition of crazy then she didn't know what was.

Lili groaned. She was just a simple bartender. She didn't get involved in shit like this. This was beyond her area. She liked still waters, not maelstroms.

Should she ask Shizuo? No…No, no. That might not be a good idea. He was still pissed off with her ( _for something she can't even remember, thank you!_ ) and considering the violent past he had with Izaya, she might just piss him off more.

Getting a punch in the face wasn't on her list of 'to do' things today.

Dammit, dammit. What was she supposed to do?

She needed to get away. She couldn't deal with all this. This was too much.

There was one thing she could do, but she swore she'd never accept his services ever again considering the sort of payment he accepted if one was strapped for cash. But desperate times called for desperate measures. He was her only hope now that her ex man-squeeze bailed out on Tokyo with all the fun goodies.

 _Fuck it._

Lili copied Izaya's information on Shizuo and bailed out of his cyber system. She had gotten enough information out of there, anything else was useless.

Opening her call list, Lili found the porcupine's number.

"Hey, Suzuki? It's Lili. You got some time for an old friend?"

* * *

The setting sun cast a overwhelming shadow over the looming towers of Tokyo. With each minute those shades wavered like wraiths as they rose higher and higher darkening the ever luminous city. The honking of cars and revving of engines blanketed out the sound of exhausted people on their way to their homes, just in time for a delicious dinner and good night's rest.

But one person still sat at their desk, smirking over the alert box on his desktop.

 _Now, who hacked into my server?_

Not exactly the most welcome sight after a day of sitting still in a chair. He was tired and had wanted to lounge in a hot steamy bath, but fate seemed to have had other plans.

Who was it, he wondered. Maybe one of the people he had used and manipulated found a way to stick it back to him. Or perhaps some disgruntled target he had destroyed or otherwise ruined their life. Well, it didn't really matter. He had nothing incriminating on his desktop. Everything important was in his head where no one could access it. If there was one thing Izaya loved second best to his lovely humans was his capacity to memorize and store even the smallest of details.

Good thing he had paid that IT-ist big money to set up a warning program in case of foreign intrusion. Whoever had accessed his computer obviously hadn't noticed setting off this particular alarm. But that still didn't make him any less mad. The IT guy assured him that no one could hack into his computer, not after installing so many firewalls and traps, but lo and behold someone had managed to sidestep them without even a hint of sweat.

He swore he was going to pay that idiot a visit tomorrow.

Leaning into his zabuton, Izaya let out a huge yawn and thought of his current project—Lilith Brodie- _Haruya_.

The girl wasn't exactly his main interest, mind you, her step-father was. The maroon eyed man had had enough of gathering information on cheating spouses and other menial jobs that required no mental stimulation. He wanted a challenge and what better way than budding up with the Awakusu-kai.

Besides, those people could take him to heights of resources he had never imagined before. No longer would he live in a dingy, cheap apartment with barely any space. He wanted to live in one of the towers, to watch the people bellow scour like ants before him.

He was above normal humans in thinking and understanding and because of that, his place was in the clouds, not in the dredges along with the rest of the brain-dead, uninspired and generally lazy cretins.

—Lili was just the stepping stone he needed towards his goal.

With a tsk, Izaya scratched at his covered wrists. Dammit, if he knew it would have been this itchy he would have tried a different method altogether.

A jolly tune signaled an incoming call.

"Hmm? Who is this?"

" _It's me, the skater from the park."_ A young voice resounded from the other end. It was tense and slightly grouchy. _"She came over and I gave her the note."_

Izaya sprang from his zabuton, delighted of this news.

"How did she react?" He paced around his constricting apartment, absentmindedly scratching his wrist.

" _Not friggin' happy, man. She almost bit my head off!"_

Izaya tittered uncontrollably. As expected, Lili must have been beside herself with anger. He could almost picture her face contorted into a that nasty scowl.

"Where is she right now?"

" _She's on the move."_

That was what he had been waiting all these days.

"Good. Follow her wherever she goes and text me the address of her destination."

Just like he had planned. Lili was a creature of habit and what she needed was what she routinely did after a hard day's work. Izaya's little derisive note had the effect he had wanted—search for another dealer. She still must think that he was a bastard that took advantage of her while intoxicated. Little did she know, he had never once touched her. He just took some incriminating photos in case he needed them for later use. She really was an oblivious girl.

Now it was time for the next phase of his plan. He could have done this sooner, but he had wanted her senses to be extra hyper-aware. Use of drugs had that desired effect, leading to paranoia and irrational thoughts. The desired state he needed.

It was time he got into character and put these markings on his wrist to work.

 _This is going to be a very interesting play._


End file.
